The data driven smart applications, utilize the IoT, Cloud Computing, AI and other digital technologies to create, curate and operate on large amounts of data to provide intelligent solutions for day-to-day problems. Security of Data in the IoT-Cloud systems has become very crucial as there are several attacks such as ransomware, data thieving, and data corruption, causing huge loss to the application users. The basic impediment in providing strong security solutions for the IoT systems, is due the resource limitations of IoT devices. Recently, there is an additional threat of quantum computing being able to break the traditional cryptographic techniques. The objective of this research is to address the bifold challenge and design a light weight quantum secure communication protocol for the IoT Cloud ecosystem. The Ring Learning With Errors (RLWE) lattice based cryptography has emerged as the most popular in the NIST PQC Standardization Program. A light weight Circular Learning Error Algorithm (CELA) has been proposed by optimizing RLWE to make it suitable for IoT-Cloud environment. The CELA inherits the advantages of quantum security and homomorphic encryption from RLWE. It is observed that CELA is light weight in terms of execution time and a slightly bigger cipher text size provides higher security as compared to RLWE. The paper also offers plausible solutions for future quantum secure cryptographic protocols.
The data driven smart applications, utilize the IoT, Cloud Computing, AI and other digital technologies to create, curate and operate on large amounts of data to provide intelligent solutions for day-to-day problems. Security of Data in the IoT-Cloud systems has become very crucial as there are several attacks such as ransomware, data thieving, and data corruption, causing huge loss to the application users. The basic impediment in providing strong security solutions for the IoT systems, is due the resource limitations of IoT devices. Recently, there is an additional threat of quantum computing being able to break the traditional cryptographic techniques. The objective of this research is to address the bifold challenge and design a light weight quantum secure communication protocol for the IoT Cloud ecosystem. The Ring Learning With Errors (RLWE) lattice based cryptography has emerged as the most popular in the NIST PQC Standardization Program. A light weight Circular Learning Error Algorithm (CELA) has been proposed by optimizing RLWE to make it suitable for IoT-Cloud environment. The CELA inherits the advantages of quantum security and homomorphic encryption from RLWE. It is observed that CELA is light weight in terms of execution time and a slightly bigger cipher text size provides higher security as compared to RLWE. The paper also offers plausible solutions for future quantum secure cryptographic protocols.
Abstract The conventional cryptographic algorithm faces a threat due to the evolution of quantum computing algorithms. In recent days, IoT devices demand authentication techniques to ensure a perfectly secure system. Thus, to address this issue, this paper presents a Modified Ring Learning with Errors–based Mutual Authentication (MRMA) scheme tailored for resource-constrained IoT environments. The computational hardness of the RLWE problem, the proposed scheme employs polynomial-level optimizations to reduce key size and computational overhead, also preserving post-quantum security in IoT devices. To further enhance the security–efficiency trade-off, a Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) driven parameter tuning layer is introduced, formulating cryptographic parameter selection as a concern for a multi-objective optimization problem over polynomial degree, modulus, and noise distribution. Also, to improve latency and throughput, the assistance of QAOA is needed. The traditional scheme requires larger keys (512–2048 bits) and high processing time. Our performance analysis proves that the proposed MRMA scheme implements a compact 256-bit key, includes a low authentication latency of 0.0065 seconds, a throughput of 900 operations per second, and an Authentication Acceptance Rate (AAR) of 99.2%. The results prove that the performance is better than typical RLWE- and MLWE-based IoT authentication schemes. Thus, the proposed MRMA scheme supports a secure, lightweight authentication framework, making it suitable for IoT and post-quantum applications.
Quantum computing does present a big threat to classic cryptography and hence endangers the security of Internet of Things devices. This paper is therefore concerned with proposing a Quantum-Resistant Homomorphic Encryption (QRHE) system tailored for Internet of Things (IoT) environments. The main view of this QRHE key system is basically protection against the quantum threat in the processing of information within Internet of Things network traffic. Aside from this, the system further allows the processing of data on encrypted information without prior decryption, which guarantees the confidentiality and integrity of the data processed. The lattice-based cryptography used in the system is based on the Learning With Errors (LWE) problem, which has already shown strength against classical and quantum attacks. In this paper, homomorphic encryption algorithm was introduced that allows both addition and multiplication between ciphertexts for the assurance of privacy during secure data aggregation and analysis. The experimental results demonstrated that even after several homomorphic operations, the proposed system maintained high accuracy of %98, proving its effectiveness in preserving data confidentiality and integrity. Although the computational cost for this proposed system was a little more compared to traditional methods, it still gave an all-rounded security solution suitable for Internet of Things applications in the quantum computing era.
The rise in technical features and capabilities of consumer electronics (CSE) devices ranging from smartphones, high fidelity (Hifi) radio systems, MP radio sets and IoT-enabled smart devices, have created new possibilities about their use and applications. You tube files can now be downloaded on smartphones and played directly on high fidelity audio radio sets through Bluetooth. There have also been increase in the use of smart phones in diverse areas of life such as in academics, industries etc., where the use of online lectures and video conference meetings have increased in recent times. It is evident that these technologies offer convenience and smart connectivity, on the downside however is the security concern resulting from these communications. Classical cryptography algorithms built into these consumer electronics are prone to quantum computing attacks, and with the steady growth of quantum computing and algorithms, it is only a matter of time before the current classical cryptography algorithms become obsolete. This aim of this paper is to design a light weight Ring Learning With Layered Errors Key Encapsulation Mechanism (RLWLEKEM), a CCA secure lattice based post quantum cryptography algorithm for consumer electronics (CSE) platform. Experiments were conducted on Raspberry Pi 5, which served as a representative testbed for resource constrained CSE devices. Results were gathered using the experimental test bed to compare the performance of RLWLEKEM with some selected cryptography protocols such as code based cryptography (CBC), and classical cryptography algorithms. Performance metrics used for comparison include encryption time, execution time, communication overhead and energy consumption. Experimental results show that RLWLEKEM outperforms the other compared cryptography protocols in terms of time to complete cryptography process, storage/communication overhead and energy consumption and thus was most suitable for deployment as post quantum cryptography key encapsulation mechanism on energy constrained CSE devices.
Cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled smart healthcare plays a vital role in modern society, yet security and privacy challenges remain unavoidable. The authenticated key agreement (AKA) process, which serves as the foundation of secure communication, is widely recognized as a key solution to these challenges. However, many existing AKA methods in the literature either involve high communication and computational costs or fail to withstand quantum attacks. Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) introduces a new class of cryptographic algorithms designed to resist future quantum computer threats. In this article, we present a quantum-secure, lattice-based three-party AKA scheme for smart IoT healthcare applications, leveraging the computationally complex Ring-Learning With Errors (Ring-LWE) problem. Our approach integrates secure big-data analytics with blockchain technology by utilizing authentication procedures for secure data aggregation before storing it in the blockchain. A comprehensive security evaluation including formal and informal analysis, demonstrates the scheme's strong resilience against both classical and quantum attacks. Additionally, experimental results confirm that the proposed scheme is well-suited for real-time smart healthcare applications.
Cloud storage faces significant security and access control challenges due to reduced user oversight and the emerging threat of quantum computing to traditional cryptographic methods. Existing revocable Identity-Based Encryption (IBE) schemes are limited by their lack of post quantum security, inefficient revocation mechanisms that require re-encryption of data, and cumbersome key update procedures. We propose a post-quantum secure Ring-LWE IBE scheme with dynamic time-based revocation tailored for cloud environments. Our solution is built on the hardness of the Ring Learning with Errors (RLWE) problem to ensure quantum resistance and introduces a novel time-based revocation framework. In our approach, user access is bound to discrete periods and managed through a hierarchical binary tree structured over identities and time. This design eliminates the need to re-encrypt stored data upon user revocation. Instead, a trusted authority periodically distributes lightweight key updates exclusively to non-revoked users. Thanks to the binary tree structure, non-revoked users can compute updated decryption keys with only O (log Nₘₐₓ) overhead in both computation and communication, where Nₘₐₓ is the maximum number of users or periods. Revoked users, having no access to future updates, lose decryption capabilities. We provide formal security proofs showing the schemes resistance against adaptive identity and time-period-based attacks, grounded in the RLWE assumption. Overall, our scheme offers an effective combination of post-quantum security, efficient access control, and simplified key management, making it suitable for secure cloud data sharing in the quantum era.
Ring Learning With Errors (Ring-LWE) is one of the basic schemes used to develop cryptographic algorithms that are resistant to quantum attacks, offering better computational efficiency compared to standard Learning With Errors (LWE). Ring-LWE uses the algebraic characteristics of polynomial rings to create a robust and fast encryption system. This study implements and evaluates the Ring-LWE algorithm in the context of public key exchange and encryption. Simulations are performed with various security parameters, including modulus size and error rate, to test the resistance to brute force attacks and lattice-based attacks. The experimental results show that the Ring-LWE algorithm can achieve a balance between security and computational efficiency, with shorter processing time than conventional LWE while maintaining a high level of security even in the face of quantum computers. From this study, it can be concluded that Ring-LWE is an excellent choice for application in post-quantum security systems, especially in encrypted communication and digital authentication applications. The next step can be directed at optimizing resource utilization and testing against various types of attacks.