Crosstalk-induced Side Channel Threats in Multi-Tenant NISQ Computers
Ruixuan Li
Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium 2025 · Day 3 · Side Channels 2
This talk, presented by Namil Churri from the University of Texas at Dallas, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin Madison, introduces and dissects a novel quantum side channel threat: **crosstalk-induced side channels** in **multi-tenant Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) computers**. The core problem addressed is the current underutilization and high wait times associated with expensive quantum processing units (QPUs) operating in a single-tenant model. While multi-tenancy offers a compelling solution to enhance QPU efficiency, it simultaneously introduces significant security vulnerabilities, particularly the risk of sensitive information leakage through quantum side channels.
AI review
Genuine original research on a side channel class that didn't exist in the literature before — crosstalk exploitation in multi-tenant NISQ hardware is a real threat vector that will matter more as cloud QPU sharing becomes standard practice. The attack primitive is sound, the ML pipeline is thoughtfully constructed, and 85.6% identification accuracy against 336 circuits with realistic fuzziness is a credible result. Minor reservations around the 17-qubit hardware constraint and the relatively thin treatment of defenses keep this out of must-see territory.