Workshop on Quantum Computing Security, Privacy and Resilience (Q-SEC)
In conjunction with IEEE Quantum Week (QCE)
ABQ Convention Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
September 1, 2025
Embedded Files
Keynote Talk
Keynote Talk
We are excited to announce that Prof. Jakub Szefer from Northwestern University will deliver the keynote talk of the workshop! Details of the talk are below.
Title: Challenges in Securing Cloud-Based Quantum Computers
Abstract: Cloud-based deployment of quantum computers is now standard practice for many of the quantum computer providers. Many quantum computing companies provide access via their dedicated cloud, and in parallel, they also make access available via larger cloud providers such as Amazon Braket or Microsoft Azure. Whether from accessing quantum computers from dedicated cloud, or via a bigger provider, users, and providers, face similar security challenges. On the user end, confidentiality and integrity of their code, i.e. quantum circuits, and data needs protection. Yet today, there are no technological mechanisms in place to provide these protections. On the provider end, integrity of their quantum computing architectures, and confidentiality of their quantum computer designs, and intellectual property needs protection. Yet again today, there are no technological mechanisms in place to provide these protections. To motivate the need for research and deployment of the security mechanisms in cloud-based quantum computers, this talk will outline demonstrations of various security attacks on quantum computers from academia. From crosstalk attacks to novel attacks on fault-tolerant quantum computing, the various security threats heighten the need for rapid deployment of defenses for quantum computers, and this talk hopes to present the case that it is not too early to think about security of quantum computing systems.
Short Speaker Bio: Jakub Szefer is an Associate Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Northwestern University where he leads the Computer Architecture and Security Lab (CASLAB). His research focuses on security attacks and defenses at the computer architecture and hardware levels of computer systems. His work encompasses security of classical processor architectures, reconfigurable logic, post-quantum cryptographic accelerators, and quantum computers. Among others, he is the author of the “Principles of Secure Processor Architecture Design” book. He received his BS degree with highest-honors in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and MA and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University.
Technical Program Agenda
Technical Program Agenda
Date: Monday, September 1, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Room: Nambe/Navajo
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Welcome and Opening Remarks
10:00 – 10:05
Keynote
Keynote
Speaker: Prof. Jakub Szefer, Northwestern University
Title: Challenges in Securing Cloud-Based Quantum Computers
Time: 10:05 – 10:50
Session 1: Quantum-Enhanced Security: Optimization and Trust
Session 1: Quantum-Enhanced Security: Optimization and Trust
Time: 10:50 AM – 11:30 AM
10:50 – 11:10
Power Side-Channel Vulnerabilities in Distributed Quantum System with Classical Communication
Quanjiang Long, Kyle Ponte, Ying Wang, Juntao Chen
11:10 – 11:30
Quantum-Inspired Trust Scoring for Zero Trust Security: A Simulation-Based Approach
Shengjie Xu, Yi Qian
Lunch Break
Lunch Break
Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Session 2: Quantum Side-Channel and Hardware-Level Vulnerabilities
Session 2: Quantum Side-Channel and Hardware-Level Vulnerabilities
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Session Chair: Shengjie Xu
1:00 – 1:20
Qubit Vise: Double-Sided Crosstalk Attacks in Superconducting Quantum Computers
Adriana Aranguren Arellano, He Xie, Jakub Szefer
1:20 – 1:40
Schrödinger's Toolbox: Exploring the Quantum Rowhammer Attack
Devon Campbell
1:40 – 2:00
Pulse-Level Simulation of Crosstalk Attacks on Superconducting Quantum Hardware
Syed Emad Uddin Shubha, Tasnuva Farheen
2:00 – 2:20
QWBO: QAOA-Based High-Speed Weighted Black-box Hyperparameter Optimization for Secure UAV Fingerprinting
Xinyi Li, Yifeng Peng, Ying Wang
Break
Break
Time: 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Session 3: Secure Quantum Software and Applications
Session 3: Secure Quantum Software and Applications
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Session Chair: Makenzie Cosgrove
3:00 – 3:20
Residue Number System (RNS) based Distributed Quantum Multiplication
Bhaskar Gaur, Himanshu Thapliyal
3:20 – 3:40
Quantum Software Security Challenges within Shared Quantum Computing Environments
Samuel Ovaskainen, Majid Haghparast, Tommi Mikkonen
3:40 – 4:00
Federated Quantum Kernel-Based Long Short-term Memory for Human Activity Recognition
Yu-Chao Hsu, Jiun-Cheng Jiang, Chun-Hua Lin, Wei-Ting Chen, Kuo-Chung Peng, Prayag Tiwari, Samuel Yen-Chi Chen, En-Jui Kuo
4:00 – 4:20
Trustworthy Natural Language Interfaces for Quantum Optimization: A Secure and Resilient Translation Framework
Kensay Sato, Mehtaab Singh, Rishabh Dhadda, Anthony Rizzuto, Alan Atrach, Lu Xiao, Ying Wang
Closing Remarks
Closing Remarks
Time: 4:20 – 4:30
Important Dates
Important Dates
Submission deadline: June 16, 2025 (July 14, 2025, Extended)
Notification of reviews: July 21, 2025
Camera-ready paper: July 28, 2025
Workshop: September 1, 2025
Submission link: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=qce25 (Track: 44-WKS-PAP: Workshop on QC Security, Privacy & Resilience)
Scope of the Workshop
Scope of the Workshop
Quantum computing holds immense potential to revolutionize fields ranging from cryptography to artificial intelligence. However, as the field advances, concerns regarding security, privacy, and resilience become increasingly critical. As quantum hardware and architectures mature, safeguarding quantum infrastructure against emerging threats is essential. Despite ongoing advancements, the research community faces major challenges in developing robust security models, ensuring quantum-safe cryptographic techniques, and mitigating side-channel vulnerabilities in quantum systems. This workshop on Quantum Computing Security, Privacy, and Resilience (Q-Sec) aims to address these challenges by fostering interdisciplinary discussions among researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers.
Topics of Interest
Topics of Interest
The Q-Sec Workshop is motivated by critical issues in quantum security, privacy, and resilience. It aims to bring together academia, industry, and government stakeholders to discuss state-of-the-art research, share practical experiences, and shape future directions for securing quantum computing systems. This workshop solicits novel contributions, ongoing research results, open challenges, and emerging trends. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
Security and privacy challenges in quantum computing
Side-channel vulnerabilities in modular quantum architectures
Post-quantum cryptography and hybrid quantum-classical security frameworks
Privacy-preserving quantum computations and secure multi-party quantum computing
Threat modeling and mitigation strategies for quantum hardware
Secure architectures for quantum networking and communication protocols
Security risks in quantum-enhanced AI and adversarial robustness
Verification and validation of quantum security frameworks
Real-world case studies and attack simulations on quantum systems
Hardware-level vulnerabilities in superconducting, trapped-ion, and photonic quantum processors
Trusted execution environments for quantum computing
Formal verification techniques for quantum security protocols
Quantum-safe identity and authentication mechanisms
Standardization and policy challenges for quantum cybersecurity
Proactive defenses for quantum side-channel attacks, including quantum-assisted anomaly detection, dynamic circuit obfuscation, and timing randomization
Quantum Neural Networks (QNN) for security and anomaly detection in quantum systems
Quantum AI for threat prediction and mitigation in quantum computing
Submission Instructions
Submission Instructions
Papers must be formatted in the standard IEEE two-column format (IEEE Formatting Instructions) that is used by the IEEE QCE 2025 main conference and must not exceed four pages in length (including references). All submitted papers will go through a peer review process, and all accepted papers, which are presented by one of the authors at the workshop, will be published in the QCE25 proceedings.
Submit your paper using the EasyChair submission website, and select Track: 44-WKS-PAP: Workshop on QC Security, Privacy & Resilience
Organizing Team
Organizing Team
General Co-Chairs:
Ying Wang (Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ, USA), Contact: ywang6@stevens.edu
Juntao Chen (Fordham University, NY, USA), Contact: jchen504@fordham.edu
TPC Chairs:
Tao Li (City University of Hong Kong)
Junaid Farooq (University of Michigan - Dearborn)
TPC Members:
Hao Chen (Stevens Institute of Technology)
Makenzie Cosgrove (AFRL)
Zhu Han (University of Houston)
Basu Kanad (UT-Dallas)
Sastry Kompella (Nexcepta, Inc)
Ying Mao (Fordham University)
Samah M Saeed (City University of New York)
Yong Meng Sua (Quantum Computing Inc)
Theodoros Trochatos (Yale University)
Wenqi Wei (Fordham University)
Lu Xiao (Stevens Institute of Technology)
Chuanqi Xu (Yale University)
Shengjie Xu (University of Arizona)
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