Security limitation on a class of device-independent quantum key distribution

Abstract

Recently there were many proposals on device-independent (DI) quantum key distribution protocol whose security is based on the violation of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality. However, as a statistical law, a certain extent of fluctuation has to be allowed. We show that the eavesdropper can make use of this property to obtain a remarkable part of the secret key by replacing some of the DI nonlocal boxes with local ones. On the contrary, the same cheating strategy does not apply to the device-dependent (DD) version of the protocol. Thus such kind of DI protocol is less secure than its DD counterpart.