Quantum Anonymous Private Information Retrieval for Distributed Networks

Quantum cybersecurity is the study of all facets regarding the security of communication and computation in a distributed network. Significant developments in quantum technologies have outclassed their classical counterparts, thus envisioning the realization of a quantum internet. However, such quantum resources, in the hands of an adversary, can jeopardize network security. In this paper, we study two secure network connectivity concerns, namely, privacy and anonymity, in quantum information retrieval systems. To this end, we propose a state-of-the-art single-server multi-user quantum anonymous private information retrieval (QAPIR) protocol. To actualize this, we utilize anonymous entanglement as a quantum resource. We show that the QAPIR protocol not only provides privacy but also introduces anonymity as an added layer of security in quantum networks. Furthermore, we also detail a comparative security analysis that establishes the desirable properties of our proposal.