Enhancing 802.11i Key Distribution Using Quantum Key Distribution

Security of data is one of the most important factors to take into account while elaborating any information system, especially when the information is transmitted over a wireless network like one of a company, a factory, a campus, or more importantly a battlefield. In those cases information becomes much more sensitive and must be secured via encryption algorithm. Whether the encryption is done using symmetric or asymmetric algorithm we have to deal with the main problem of key distribution. Quantum mechanics provide a new paradigm that can address effectively the classical problem of key distribution. The main idea of this work is about how to integrate the QKD (Quantum Key Distribution) in the IEEE 802.11i standard to improve the security of data transmitted over a wireless network, by enhancing the encryption key distribution phase.