With the looming quantum computer threat, the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) has done an exhaustive search for both quantum resilient encryption, creating new asymmetric algorithms and a separate “lightweight cryptography” suitable for small IoT electronics, selecting ASCON. However, NIST admits that ASCON is only quasi-quantum resilient. AES has also been independently declared quantum resilient. Unfortunately, the four selected quantum resilient asymmetric algorithms and AES are far too computationally heavy for FinTech smart cards’ use. The proposed Randomization Data Handshake (RDH) has been designed to wrap around both ASCON (and AES) allowing each to create and exchange instructions to build their own non-transmitted quantum resilient session keys using 100% randomized data, while simultaneously authenticating both sender and receiver. Furthermore, credit cards, debit cards, PINs, passwords and session keys are never transmitted. In a way, RDH emulates the quantum entanglement’s ability to exchange data (keys) without sending the data.
With the looming quantum computer threat, the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) has done an exhaustive search for both quantum resilient encryption, creating new asymmetric algorithms and a separate “lightweight cryptography” suitable for small IoT electronics, selecting ASCON. However, NIST admits that ASCON is only quasi-quantum resilient. AES has also been independently declared quantum resilient. Unfortunately, the four selected quantum resilient asymmetric algorithms and AES are far too computationally heavy for FinTech smart cards’ use. The proposed Randomization Data Handshake (RDH) has been designed to wrap around both ASCON (and AES) allowing each to create and exchange instructions to build their own non-transmitted quantum resilient session keys using 100% randomized data, while simultaneously authenticating both sender and receiver. Furthermore, credit cards, debit cards, PINs, passwords and session keys are never transmitted. In a way, RDH emulates the quantum entanglement’s ability to exchange data (keys) without sending the data.
With the growing Internet of Things (IoT), many applications like traffic management, smart cities, environment monitoring, industrial automation and healthcare have been revolutionized. As the number of resourcelimited IoT devices grows and connects with each other, security issues have become more intricate and severe, such as unauthorized access, data tampering, replay attacks, and the rise in threat from quantum computing to traditional cryptographic methods. To solve those problems, this paper proposes Quantum Shield-IoT, which is a quantum-resilient hybrid security framework that combines the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocol of BB84 with ASCON lightweight authenticated encryption, blockchain security, and cloud computing to ensure secure end-to-end data transmission in IoT. The BB84 protocol works both to generate quantum secure cryptographic keys, and to identify eavesdropping via Quantum Bit Error Rate (QBER) analysis. The generated keys are used by ASCON-128 to ensure efficient data confidentiality, integrity and authentication with low computation load, which makes it suitable for resourceconstrained IoT devices. Encrypted data are securely stored in the cloud while the data integrity and traceability of the SHA-256 hash values are ensured by being stored on the blockchain, making them irretrievable. Encrypted data are stored securely in the cloud, while the data integrity and traceability of the hash value ensure irretrievable storage through the blockchain. The proposed framework was implemented using IBM Quantum Qiskit, ASCON-128, blockchain platforms and cloud storage. Experimental results show that quantum bit error rate (QBER) varies from 2.1% to 3.5% for typical communication and 24.8% for eavesdropping attempts, proving reliable QKD. ASCON encryption range was between 8.2 ms and 69.5 ms, and blockchain verification was less than 25 ms for 1,000 transactions with more than 99% of the integrity accuracy. Moreover, the framework achieved an attack detection rate higher than 97.9% in several cyberattacks and hence provided a scalable, light-weight and quantum resistant security solution for next generation IoT ecosystems.
The growing interconnection of critical engineering infrastructure through IoT introduces unprecedented exposure to cyber threats. Emerging quantum computing capabilities pose a transformative risk to classical cryptographic primitives such as Rivest–Shamir–Adleman and Elliptic-Curve Cryptography, which underpin secure communication and device authentication in industrial control systems, power grids, transportation networks, and healthcare infrastructure. This paper investigates quantum-resistant encryption, often termed post-quantum cryptography (PQC), as a sustainable security paradigm for IoT communication within critical systems. By analyzing lattice-based, code-based, multivariate, and hash-based schemes, the study evaluates trade-offs between computational cost, memory footprint, and latency constraints intrinsic to resource-limited IoT nodes. A hybrid architectural framework integrating the National Institute of Standards and Technology-standardized algorithms (e.g., Cryptographic Suite for Algebraic Lattices—Kyber, Dilithium) with lightweight symmetric primitives (e.g., Ascon, GIFT block cipher in Combined Feedback mode) is proposed for secure data transmission across heterogeneous IoT layers. Experimental simulations benchmark key-exchange throughput, ciphertext expansion, and resilience against quantum-adversarial models, demonstrating up to 65% reduction in handshake latency compared to baseline lattice implementations under constrained conditions. The paper concludes with policy and engineering recommendations for the adoption of quantum-resistant IoT protocols in energy, transportation, and industrial automation sectors, highlighting alignment with global PQC migration roadmaps and IEC 62443 cybersecurity standards.
Recent developments in quantum computing have shed light on the shortcomings of the conventional public cryptosystem. Even while Shor's algorithm cannot yet be implemented on quantum computers, it indicates that asymmetric key encryption will not be practicable or secure in the near future. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has started looking for a post-quantum encryption algorithm that is resistant to the development of future quantum computers as a response to this security concern. The current focus is on standardizing asymmetric cryptography that should be impenetrable by a quantum computer. This has become increasingly important in recent years. Currently, the process of standardizing asymmetric cryptography is coming very close to being finished. This study evaluated the performance of two post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms, both of which were selected as NIST fourth-round finalists. The research assessed the key generation, encapsulation, and decapsulation operations, providing insights into their efficiency and suitability for real-world applications. Further research and standardization efforts are required to enable secure and efficient post-quantum encryption. When selecting appropriate post-quantum encryption algorithms for specific applications, factors such as security levels, performance requirements, key sizes, and platform compatibility should be taken into account. This paper provides helpful insight for post-quantum cryptography researchers and practitioners, assisting in the decision-making process for selecting appropriate algorithms to protect confidential data in the age of quantum computing.
The growing dependence on the Internet of Things (IoT) across different sectors requires stringent security solutions to ensure data confidentiality and integrity. Existing cryptographic solutions are not capable of achieving lightweight performance and resilience against upcoming cyberattacks, especially with the use of quantum computing. This article presents a hybrid cryptographic framework that combines Kyber-512, a post-quantum key encapsulation method, with ASCON, a lightweight authenticated encryption method, to improve IoT security. The proposed method includes key generation, encryption, secure data transmission, decryption with minimal computational load, and the ability to exhibit good security attributes. Performance analysis through extensive experimentation reveals that the proposed framework is efficient in terms of encryption time (43 ms), has minimal memory usage (2.56 KB), and provides optimal CPU usage (21.62%) and power savings (20.76 W), while ensuring high ciphertext entropy (7.90). The experimental results further indicate that the lightweight nature of ASCON allows for rapid encryption and decryption with little effect on system performance. The incorporation of Kyber-512 offers post-quantum security, reducing the threat of quantum-based attacks while being practically usable for devices with resource constraints. The proposed hybrid method meets security and efficiency requirements and is highly appropriate for use in IoT networks and similar embedded systems where computational resources and power savings are important considerations. This research highlights the importance of combining post-quantum cryptography with lightweight ciphers to strengthen the security posture in future-connected systems.
The rapid advancements in quantum technologies have introduced significant threats to the security of conventional cryptographic systems. In particular, the evaluation of quantum resource requirements—measured in terms of circuit depth and qubit count—has become essential for analyzing the resilience of widely used schemes such as AES and RSA, as well as cryptographic hash functions like SHA-2. At the same time, the widespread adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) applications has increased the exposure to cybersecurity risks, which are further exacerbated by the emerging capabilities of quantum adversaries. To address these challenges, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) launched a competition to standardize lightweight hash functions and defined five quantum security levels to assess their robustness. In this work, we conduct a resource analysis of the NIST Lightweight Hash Function finalists against the Grover search algorithm, providing detailed insights into their quantum resistance. The findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the security strength of lightweight hash functions in the post-quantum era.
As the era of the Internet of Things (IoT) becomes more active, a large amount of information, including personal data, is being transmitted through IoT devices. To protect this information, it is important for devices to communicate using mutual encryption. Due to the performance limitations inherent in IoT devices, lightweight security protocols are required. Currently, most cryptographic techniques used in security protocols are based on RSA and ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography). However, if high-performance quantum computers are developed and Shor’s algorithm is utilized, the foundational security assumptions of RSA and ECC can be easily broken, rendering them unusable. Therefore, this paper proposes a security protocol that is resilient to the computational capabilities of quantum computers. It employs ROLLO, a code-based cryptographic algorithm that is currently under consideration in the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) post-quantum cryptography standardization competition. Additionally, to facilitate mutual communication between IoT devices, computationally efficient operations such as hashing and XOR are utilized. Finally, the proposed protocol is compared and analyzed in terms of performance and security against existing protocols.