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Abstract
This paper introduces ObfusQate, a novel tool that conducts obfuscations
using quantum primitives to enhance the security of both classical and quantum
programs. We have designed and implemented two primary categories of
obfuscations: quantum circuit level obfuscation and code level obfuscation,
encompassing a total of eight distinct methods. Quantum circuit-level
obfuscation leverages on quantum gates and circuits, utilizing strategies such
as quantum gate hiding and identity matrices to construct complex,
non-intuitive circuits that effectively obscure core functionalities and resist
reverse engineering, making the underlying code difficult to interpret.
Meanwhile, code-level obfuscation manipulates the logical sequence of program
operations through quantum-based opaque predicates, obfuscating execution paths
and rendering program behavior more unpredictable and challenging to analyze.
Additionally, ObfusQate can be used to obfuscate malicious code segments,
making them harder to detect and analyze. These advancements establish a
foundational framework for further exploration into the potential and
limitations of quantum-based obfuscation techniques, positioning ObfusQate as a
valuable tool for future developers to enhance code security in the evolving
landscape of software development. To the best of our knowledge, ObfusQate
represents the pioneering work in developing an automated framework for
implementing obfuscations leveraging quantum primitives. Security evaluations
show that obfuscations by ObfusQate maintain code behavior with polynomial
overheads in space and time complexities. We have also demonstrated an
offensive use case by embedding a keylogger into Shor's algorithm and
obfuscating it using ObfusQate. Our results show that current Large language
models like GPT 4o, GPT o3 mini and Grok 3 were not able to identify the
malicious keylogger after obfuscation.