The use of the MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) communication protocol in the Industry 4.0 faces the challenge of data protection. The security layer provided by Transport Layer Security (TLS) is threatened by the emergence of quantum computers, accelerating the need for MQTT to sup-port post-quantum algorithms. This work evaluates secure imple-mentations of MQTT with pre-quantum cryptography algorithms (those used nowadays) and with hybrid algorithms, combining pre and post-quantum techniques. In both cases, the system performance is assessed in terms of memory consumption and CPU cycles, identifying the main challenges for the deployment of hybrid cryptography in an industrial Internet of Things context.
The use of the MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) communication protocol in the Industry 4.0 faces the challenge of data protection. The security layer provided by Transport Layer Security (TLS) is threatened by the emergence of quantum computers, accelerating the need for MQTT to sup-port post-quantum algorithms. This work evaluates secure imple-mentations of MQTT with pre-quantum cryptography algorithms (those used nowadays) and with hybrid algorithms, combining pre and post-quantum techniques. In both cases, the system performance is assessed in terms of memory consumption and CPU cycles, identifying the main challenges for the deployment of hybrid cryptography in an industrial Internet of Things context.
The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices that use the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol poses significant security challenges in the emerging quantum computing era. Current Transport Layer Security (TLS) implementations rely on classical cryptographic algorithms vulnerable to Shor's algorithm. This paper proposes PQ-MQTT, a hybrid post-quantum secure communication protocol that integrates ML-KEM-768 with X25519 for key encapsulation and a lightweight session-key derivation mechanism optimized for resource-constrained IoT publishers. We present a formal security analysis under the Quantum Random Oracle Model (QROM), demonstrating resilience against store-now-decryptlater attacks. Experimental evaluation on the Raspberry Pi 4, ESP32, and Arduino Nano 33 platforms shows that PQ-MQTT achieves handshake latencies of127.3ms,412.7ms, and1,847.2ms, respectively, with 18.2 KB of additional memory overhead. A comparative analysis of pure post-quantum and classical TLS implementations shows energy reductions of23.5%−40.5%relative to pure PQC, achieved through our hybrid optimization approach, while maintaining 94.2 % throughput efficiency.
The imminent threat of quantum computing necessitates the integration of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) to secure critical infrastructure, particularly within mobile Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) environments. This study validates the feasibility of such an integration through a detailed performance analysis of a PQC-secured communication architecture. A virtualized testbed was developed to simulate a network of Mobile Manufacturing Trucks (MMTs), acting as IIoT clients using Node-RED, transmitting real-time sensor data to a central Security Operations Center (SOC) running a Mosquitto MQTT broker. The security of the data channel is enhanced via an applicationlayer hybrid scheme that augments a standard TLS connection with the NIST-standardized ML-KEM-768 key encapsulation mechanism, orchestrated by distributed C-based cryptographic services. Performance evaluations of this end-to-end system yielded highly positive results. The mean end-to-end responsiveness was measured at 108.80 ms, successfully meeting the sub- 300 ms requirement for real-time industrial applications. Analysis of the latency distribution revealed a realistic network jitter profile, with a small number of outliers, while the majority of transmissions remained well below 150 ms. Furthermore, CPU utilization on all virtual machines remained minimal, confirming the computational efficiency of ML-KEM for resource-constrained edge devices. These findings provide strong quantitative evidence that a hybrid PQC approach is a viable and performant solution for securing mobile IIoT systems, aligning with the principles of the IEC 62443 standard. This work establishes a practical blueprint for deploying quantum-resistant protocols, with future research directed toward hardware-based validation, the integration of PQC digital signatures, and AI-driven anomaly detection.
A recent trend in the IT world is the term Internet of Things (IoT). As more and more devices get connected to the internet, and with companies trying to lower production costs in order to stay competitive, security can easily be neglected. In this report traditional Transport Layer Security (TLS) implementations and post-quantum based TLS were evaluated and performance measurements were conducted. The initial attempt was to run post-quantum secure algorithms on an IoT device in order to see if an IoT device theoretically would be able to withstand an attack from a quantum computer. Due to memory constraints it was not possible to run the modified version of the cryptography library, PolarSSL, on the intended IoT device. For that reason we switched to another platform, namely a Raspberry Pi. The measurements were conducted on that platform and in-depth analysis was performed to determine if current implementations of post-quantum algorithms can be suitable for IoT devices or not. The conclusion was that post-quantum algorithms are more time-consuming than traditional algorithms used today. One of the experiments in this report shows that using a post-quantum algorithm for the key exchange is 2.5 times slower and needs 10 times as much RAM memory than a traditional solution with the same security level. There is therefore no apparent need to start using post-quantum algorithms today in terms of security level, when considering the duration and RAM usage for the key exchange. With time and optimization some of the algorithms evaluated in this report, or similar algorithms, could be good candidates the day large quantum computers are produced.
This thesis investigates the current state of Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) in the industry, with a particular focus on its practical deployment, integration challenges, and performance implications.The study combines a structured analysis of academic literature, standardization efforts, and industry guidance with an experimental evaluation of PQC integration in widely used security protocols. The analysis shows that, while significant progress has been made in the standardization of quantum-resistant algorithms such as ML-KEM, ML-DSA, and SLH-DSA, real-world adoption remains in an early and transitional phase. Organizations primarily focus on evaluation and pilot implementations, as deployment is constrained by interoperability issues, implementation maturity, and the complexity of migrating existing cryptographic infrastructures.To complement the conceptual analysis, experimental measurements were conducted for TLS, SSH, and IPsec to evaluate the performance impact of hybrid post-quantum cryptographic mechanisms. The results indicate that performance overhead is not uniform across components. In particular, post-quantum signature schemes introduce significant computational and network overhead, mainly due to increased key and certificate sizes. In contrast, hybrid key exchange mechanisms show only moderate performance impact across all evaluated protocols.The findings highlight that the primary challenge of PQC adoption lies not in algorithm design but in practical integration and large-scale migration. Hybrid cryptographic approaches emerge as the most viable strategy for enabling a gradual transition, balancing improved security against quantum threats with operational feasibility.Overall, this thesis demonstrates that PQC is transitioning from a theoretical research field to a practical engineering challenge, with significant implications for the future design of secure communication systems.
In this paper, we deal with the deployment of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) in Internet of Things (IoT). Concretely, we focus on the MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) protocol that is widely used in IoT services. The paper presents our novel quantum-resistant security proposal for the MQTT protocol that supports secure broadcast. Our solution omits using TLS with the handshake causing delay and is suitable for sending irregular short messages. Finally, we show how our solution can practically affect concrete use cases by the performance results of the proposed solution.
Quantum cryptography, grounded in principles of quantum mechanics such as superposition and quantum entanglement, represents a significant advancement in enhancing communications security. Methods like Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offer encryption that is theoretically unbreakable, providing robust protection against cyber threats. However, the advent of quantum computing introduces challenges for conventional cryptographic algorithms, such as RSA and demands the development of new encryption strategies, including post-quantum methods. Integrating quantum encryption into the Internet of Things (IoT) promises to significantly enhance security levels. However, it is crucial to adapt these methods to the limitations of devices with restricted resources. As quantum computing advances, its role in data and communication protection will be crucial, though implementing these systems will face challenges related to cost and complexity. In the realm of industrial communications, selecting the appropriate protocol is essential for the efficient integration and operation of automated systems. Common industrial protocols, such as AMQP, CoAP, DDS, HTTP, MQTT, OPC, and XMPP, exhibit significant variations in aspects such as communication types, security, latency, resource usage, and reliability. Each protocol presents specific challenges, including security vulnerabilities and issues related to latency or resource usage, affecting its suitability for real-time and critical applications.