Quantum Entanglement in Digital Forensics: Methodology and Experimental Findings

The fast-paced progress in quantum computing introduces significant new challenges for digital forensics by undermining classical cryptographic mechanisms that protect digital evidence. Algorithms such as Shor’s and Grover’s threaten the long-term reliability of traditional hash functions, digital signatures, and encryption schemes, thereby compromising the integrity, authenticity, and confidentiality of evidence. This paper investigates how quantum entanglement can be leveraged to enhance the security of digital forensic evidence in the post-quantum era. A hybrid quantum–classical forensic framework is proposed, integrating three entanglement-based components: an entanglement-assisted quantum hashing mechanism for integrity assurance, a CHSH nonlocality-based protocol for authenticity verification, and a BBM92 quantum key distribution scheme for confidentiality and secure chain-of-custody management. All components are implemented using IBM Qiskit and evaluated with the AerSimulator under realistic Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum conditions. Experimental results measured using Hamming distance, CHSH S-values, and Quantum Bit Error Rate demonstrate improved tamper detection, reliable authenticity validation, and strong overall confidentiality.