Quantum computing has redefined the assumed complexity of different computational tasks, which implies the need for new cryptographic tools that can be considered secure even in the presence of entities that may be able to execute quantum algorithms. In particular, this poses significant challenges for the adaptation of cryptographic implementations, which are particularly relevant in the IoT scenario, where resources are especially limited. In this work, we report on a simple cryptographic protocol for group key establishment, where n > 2 devices interact to establish a key to secure their communication. Our design can actually be seen as a so-called key transport, where a small set of devices cooperatively choose a key that is subsequently distributed to all users over an insecure (and somewhat unstable) network using only cryptographic tools that are claimed to be post-quantum, i.e., resistant to quantum attacks. We give a theoretical description and also describe our experimental results implementing our protocol within networks up to 16 nodes based on ARM Cortex-M4. We believe that this design is a first proof-of-concept of a post-quantum group key exchange protocol in the IoT scenario.
Quantum computing has redefined the assumed complexity of different computational tasks, which implies the need for new cryptographic tools that can be considered secure even in the presence of entities that may be able to execute quantum algorithms. In particular, this poses significant challenges for the adaptation of cryptographic implementations, which are particularly relevant in the IoT scenario, where resources are especially limited. In this work, we report on a simple cryptographic protocol for group key establishment, where n > 2 devices interact to establish a key to secure their communication. Our design can actually be seen as a so-called key transport, where a small set of devices cooperatively choose a key that is subsequently distributed to all users over an insecure (and somewhat unstable) network using only cryptographic tools that are claimed to be post-quantum, i.e., resistant to quantum attacks. We give a theoretical description and also describe our experimental results implementing our protocol within networks up to 16 nodes based on ARM Cortex-M4. We believe that this design is a first proof-of-concept of a post-quantum group key exchange protocol in the IoT scenario.
Quantum computing poses a threat on current cryptography methods, prompting initiatives such as the U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) standardization process toward developing post-quantum cryptographic tools. This process concentrates on deploying “key encapsulation mechanisms” and “signature schemes”, mainly focusing on Group Authenticated key exchange (GAKE), which is crucial for secure group communication while ensuring authentication is immune to quantum attacks. Despite various two-party key exchange designs adaptable for group key exchange protocols with multiple parties, experts face challenges in secure group interactions in a post-quantum environment due to the lack of such group protocols solutions. Addressing the necessity of secure group communication in IoTs, we proposed a GAKE protocol. This paper presents its design and implementation secure under QROM; we compared our initial findings on the “Saber-based GAKE” with a Kyber-based GAKE implementation named “Complied Kyber” proposed by Pablos, focusing on IoTs. Our findings show better efficiency than “Compiled Kyber” regarding overall communication duration, especially when involving up to 2000 participants in group communication. Furthermore, thorough investigation and calculations confirm the Saber-GAKE protocol’s interoperability with IoT contexts. The protocol has worthy computational efficiency, with execution speeds of 0.064 ms on ARM Cortex-M4 and 1.56 ms on ARM Cortex-M0 systems. The memory use is well below the allowed limits, with 50.86 KB on Cortex-M4 and 35.84 KB on Cortex-M0. The performance data validate that the Saber-GAKE protocol can effectively and safely function on IoT devices with limited resources, offering strong protection against quantum computing assaults.
The coupling of quantum-metering methods with cryptographic key exchanges spells out a new security paradigm model to safeguard Internet of Things (IoT) networks against rapidly changing cyberspace threats. The given assessment explains a quantum-advanced scenario that is operationally feasible and serves as a platform for quantum key distribution (QKD) along with classical post-quantum algorithms to deliver end-to-end confidentiality, integrity, and authentication features to a wide range of IoT devices. The model, by the virtue of quantum entanglement and photon polarization used in the creation of tamper-evident communication links, is invulnerable to adversarial-aided eavesdropping and computational assault methods and further offers a hybrid encryption protocol that has been demonstrated to alleviate key generation and exchange latency trade-offs - simultaneously maintaining scalability and effectiveness in resource-constrained IoT node environments. The key compromise probability is significantly lowered in the experimental results, along with the keys' entropy levels, which were generated in the pure QKD space as opposed to classicalbased RSA and ECC methods. Also, the framework investigates lightweight quantum-safe authentication techniques that can be used to establish trust at the device level. The output points to the enhanced resistance to quantum and classical attackers that can make the solutions work in real-time application IoT environments such as smart healthcare, autonomous systems, and industrial automation. Overall, the quantum-enriched model of cryptographic key exchange is next-gen IoT ecosystem to be implemented subsequently.
Establishing secure keys over untrusted networks is one of the most fundamental cryptographic tasks. While two-party key establishment protocols are available for many scenarios, even offering resistance to potential adversaries equipped with quantum computing resources, the multi-party scenario is not as well understood. In particular, there is a need to find designs that can make the most of the technologies available to each party involved in a cooperative n-party key establishment. We propose an authenticated key establishment protocol involving n⩾2 parties, assuming that some—possibly all—network nodes have the potential to implement quantum key distribution (in pairs), while others only have access to standard technology. The protocol allows for the cooperative construction of a shared secret key from partial keys established by quantum and post-quantum solutions, which in turn can be implemented by different building blocks. We give a formal security analysis of our proposal using a hybrid security model simultaneously capturing quantum and classical actions and capabilities.
The rapid expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems has introduced significant security challenges due to resource-constrained devices, heterogeneous network architectures, and largescale connectivity. Traditional authentication and key exchange mechanisms, primarily based on classical cryptographic algorithms such as RSA and ECC, are vulnerable to future quantum computing attacks. The emergence of quantum algorithms, particularly Shor’s algorithm, threatens the long-term confidentiality and integrity of IoT communications. This paper proposes a Quantum-Resistant Authentication and Key Exchange Protocol specifically designed for secure IoT architectures. The proposed framework integrates post-quantum cryptographic primitives, including lattice-based key exchange mechanisms and hash-based authentication schemes, optimized for low computational overhead suitable for constrained IoT devices. The protocol ensures mutual authentication, forward secrecy, and resistance against quantum adversaries while maintaining minimal communication latency. Security analysis demonstrates robustness against replay, man-in-the-middle, and key-compromise attacks. Performance evaluation shows that the proposed solution achieves a balance between quantum security strength and resource efficiency, making it suitable for next-generation IoT deployments in smart cities, healthcare systems, and industrial automation.
With the explosive growth in the number of IoT devices, the security of group communication has become a critical issue requiring urgent solutions. However, existing group key agreement protocols typically assume that all devices employ the same cryptographic algorithm, making them difficult to adapt to the heterogeneous environment prevalent in actual deployments where traditional cryptography and post-quantum cryptography devices coexist. Therefore, this paper proposes a group key agreement protocol that supports devices with heterogeneous algorithms, such as post-quantum devices (Kyber) and traditional devices (ECDH), to collaboratively perform key agreement within the same group. The protocol is based on the Abdalla compiler, groups devices according to their algorithm type, and introduces group leader nodes that support multiple algorithms simultaneously. The protocol adds only two rounds of interaction compared to the underlying two-party protocol, offering strong compatibility and manageable overhead. Security analysis shows that the security of the protocol can be reduced to the security of the underlying two-party protocols. Performance evaluation results indicate that, compared to existing schemes, this protocol achieves averagely 49% computational and 17.5% communication efficiency in mixed-device scenarios, making it suitable for resource-constrained IoT environments.
In cryptography, key establishment protocols are often the starting point paving the way towards secure execution of different tasks. Namely, the parties seeking to achieve some cryptographic task, often start by establishing a common high-entropy secret that will eventually be used to secure their communication. In this paper, we put forward a security model for group key establishment (GAKE) with an adversary that may execute efficient quantum algorithms, yet only once the execution of the protocol has concluded. This captures a situation in which keys are to be established in the present, while security guarantees must still be provided in the future when quantum resources may be accessible to a potential adversary. Further, we propose a protocol design that can be proven secure in this model. Our proposal uses password authentication and builds upon efficient and reasonably well understood primitives: a message authentication code and a post-quantum key encapsulation mechanism. The hybrid structure dodges potential efficiency downsides, like large signatures, of some “true” post-quantum authentication techniques, making our protocol a potentially interesting fit for current applications with long-term security needs.