PQC-Enhanced QKD Networks: A Layered Approach

Quantum Physics [Submitted on 7 Apr 2026] PQC-Enhanced QKD Networks: A Layered Approach Paul Spooren, Andreas Neuhold, Sebastian Ramacher, Thomas Hühn We present a layered and modular network architecture that combines Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) to provide scalable end-to-end security across long distance multi-hop, trusted-node quantum networks. To ensure interoperability and efficient practical deployment, hop-wise tunnels between physically secured nodes are protected by WireGuard with periodically rotated pre-shared keys sourced via the ETSI GS QKD 014 interface. On top, Rosenpass performs a PQC key exchange to establish an end-to-end data channel without modifying deployed QKD devices or network protocols. This dual-layer composition yields post-quantum forward secrecy and authenticity under practical assumptions. We implement the design using open-source components and validate and evaluate it in simulated and lab test-beds. Experiments show uninterrupted operation over multi-hop paths, low resource footprint and fail-safe mechanisms. We further discuss the design's compositional security, wherein the security of each individual component is preserved under their combination and outline migration paths for operators integrating QKD-aware overlays in existing infrastructures. Subjects: Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Cryptography and Security (cs.CR) Cite as: arXiv:2604.05599 [quant-ph]   (or arXiv:2604.05599v1 [quant-ph] for this version)   https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.05599 Focus to learn more Submission history From: Paul Spooren [view email] [v1] Tue, 7 Apr 2026 08:48:05 UTC (1,321 KB) Access Paper: HTML (experimental) view license Current browse context: quant-ph < prev   |   next > new | recent | 2026-04 Change to browse by: cs cs.CR References & Citations INSPIRE HEP NASA ADS Google Scholar Semantic Scholar Export BibTeX Citation Bookmark Bibliographic Tools Bibliographic and Citation Tools Bibliographic Explorer Toggle Bibliographic Explorer (What is the Explorer?) Connected Papers Toggle Connected Papers (What is Connected Papers?) Litmaps Toggle Litmaps (What is Litmaps?) scite.ai Toggle scite Smart Citations (What are Smart Citations?) Code, Data, Media Demos Related Papers About arXivLabs Which authors of this paper are endorsers? | Disable MathJax (What is MathJax?)