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IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing

Quantum-Secure Hybrid Communication for Aviation Infrastructures

Benjamin Dowling, Bhagya Wimalasiri

Published Nov 4, 2024• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

The rapid digitization of aviation communication and its dependent critical operations demand secure protocols that address domain-specific security requirements within the unique functional constraints of the aviation industry. These secure protocols must provide sufficient security against current and possible future attackers, given the inherent nature of the aviation community, that is highly complex and averse to frequent upgrades as well as its high safety and cost considerations. In this work we propose a pair of quantum-secure hybrid key exchange protocols ($\mathsf {PQAG}\hbox{-}\mathsf {KEM}$and$\mathsf {PQAG}\hbox{-}\mathsf {SIG}$) to secure communication between aircrafts in-flight and ground stations.$\mathsf {PQAG}\hbox{-}\mathsf {KEM}$leverages post-quantum and classical Key Encapsulation Mechanisms ($\mathsf {KEM}$s) to ensure the hybrid security of the protocol against classical as well as future quantum adversaries.$\mathsf {PQAG}\hbox{-}\mathsf {SIG}$, alternatively, uses quantum-safe digital signatures to achieve authentication security. We provide an implementation of both$\mathsf {PQAG}\hbox{-}\mathsf {KEM}$and$\mathsf {PQAG}\hbox{-}\mathsf {SIG}$, and compare favourably with current state-of-the-art secure avionic protocols. Finally, we provide a formal analysis of our new$\mathsf {PQAG}$protocols in a strong hybrid key exchange framework.

DOI
10.1109/tdsc.2024.3483448

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The rapid digitization of aviation communication and its dependent critical operations demand secure protocols that address domain-specific security requirements within the unique functional constraints of the aviation industry. These secure protocols must provide sufficient security against current and possible future attackers, given the inherent nature of the aviation community, that is highly complex and averse to frequent upgrades as well as its high safety and cost considerations. In this work we propose a pair of quantum-secure hybrid key exchange protocols (PQAG-KEM\mathsf {PQAG}\hbox{-}\mathsf {KEM}PQAG-KEMandPQAG-SIG\mathsf {PQAG}\hbox{-}\mathsf {SIG}PQAG-SIG) to secure communication between aircrafts in-flight and ground stations.PQAG-KEM\mathsf {PQAG}\hbox{-}\mathsf {KEM}PQAG-KEMleverages post-quantum and classical Key Encapsulation Mechanisms (KEM\mathsf {KEM}KEMs) to ensure the hybrid security of the protocol against classical as well as future quantum adversaries.PQAG-SIG\mathsf {PQAG}\hbox{-}\mathsf {SIG}PQAG-SIG, alternatively, uses quantum-safe digital signatures to achieve authentication security. We provide an implementation of bothPQAG-KEM\mathsf {PQAG}\hbox{-}\mathsf {KEM}PQAG-KEMandPQAG-SIG\mathsf {PQAG}\hbox{-}\mathsf {SIG}PQAG-SIG, and compare favourably with current state-of-the-art secure avionic protocols. Finally, we provide a formal analysis of our newPQAG\mathsf {PQAG}PQAGprotocols in a strong hybrid key exchange framework.
The L-Band Digital Aeronautical Communication System (LDACS) aims to transform aviation communications into a quantum-safe setup, where recent proposals utilize Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) as an authentication mechanism and quantum-safe algorithms as a Key Encapsulation Mechanism (KEM). However, the existence of novel techniques that predict the behavior of PUFs, along with severe vulnerabilities in PostQuantum Cryptography (PQC) schemes being exploitable by attacks running on classical computing infrastructures, raises concerns about their security. In this context, the paper performs a security assessment of LDACS and the extent to which the secret quantities used during the mutual authentication between an aircraft and ground control can be disclosed. It is shown that an intelligent quantum preimage algorithm can reveal these aforementioned PUF secret quantities, which are also susceptible to sophisticated side channel attacks even on isolated workstations. In addition, information set decoding and entropy are used to evaluate the strength of the proposed KEMs for LDACS, which are also benchmarked to identify trade-offs between security and performance. Overall, our findings suggest a hardware implementation of CRYSTALS-Kyber as KEM, to further reduce latency, and the utilization of a public key infrastructure for authentication.
The advent of cryptographically relevant quantum computers poses an existential threat to current public-key cryptographic systems (RSA, ECC) widely used in digital communication protocols such as TLS, IPsec, VPNs, and secure messaging. Traditional systems face risks from "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" attacks, compromising long-term confidentiality of sensitive data in finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure. This paper proposes Quantum Shield, a comprehensive post-quantum secure framework for next-generation digital communication. It integrates NIST-standardized post-quantum algorithms (ML-KEM for key encapsulation, ML-DSA and SLH-DSA for digital signatures) with hybrid crypto-agile designs, hardware acceleration support, and role-based access controls. The system ensures quantum-resistant key establishment, authentication, and end-to-end encryption while maintaining low latency and high throughput. Experimental evaluation on simulated network traffic demonstrates acceptable performance overhead, enhanced resistance to quantum attacks, improved traceability, and secure multi-party coordination. Quantum Shield bridges the gap between classical and quantum-safe infrastructures, fostering trust and compliance in an era of quantum threats.
The rapid development of quantum computing presents a substantial threat to traditional cryptographic algorithms, particularly those relying on mathematical problems such as integer factorization and elliptic curve operations. As a response, the cryptographic community has accelerated the design of post-quantum cryptographic schemes that can withstand attacks from both classical and quantum computers. However, many of these new schemes exhibit inherent trade-offs between performance, key sizes, and implementation complexity. To address this, we propose a novel hybrid cryptographic framework tailored for secure and efficient data transmission in future quantum-aware environments. The proposed system combines three algorithmic paradigms: a lattice-based encryption method for fast and lightweight data protection, a hash-based signature mechanism for authenticity, and a code-based key exchange method to ensure session confidentiality. This layered integration is designed to capitalize on each algorithm’s strengths while mitigating individual limitations. The system is implemented using modular components in a testbed simulating real-world deployments, and its performance is benchmarked across multiple metrics including encryption latency, signature generation time, key sizes, and throughput. Comparative results indicate that the hybrid approach outperforms monolithic schemes in critical areas such as execution time and cryptographic strength under quantum adversary models. The findings support the practicality of using multiple post-quantum primitives in tandem to build robust communication systems. This research contributes a realistic implementation and evaluation of post-quantum security models and highlights key directions for future research and standardization efforts as the global transition to quantum-safe infrastructure begins.
Transitioning from classically to quantum secure key agreement protocols may require to exchange fundamental components, for example, exchanging Diffie-Hellman-like key exchange with a key encapsulation mechanism (KEM). Accordingly, the corresponding security proof can no longer rely on the Diffie-Hellman assumption, thus invalidating the security guarantees. As a consequence, the security properties have to be re-proven under a KEM-based security notion. We initiate the study of the LDACS key agreement protocol (Edition 01.01.00 from 25.04.2023), which is soon-to-be-standardized by the International Civil Aviation Organization. The protocol's cipher suite features Diffie-Hellman as well as a KEM-based key agreement protocol to provide post-quantum security. While the former results in an instantiation of an ISO key agreement inheriting all security properties, the security achieved by the latter is ambiguous. We formalize the computational security using the systematic notions of de Saint Guilhem, Fischlin and Warinshi (CSF '20), and prove the exact security that the KEM-based variant achieves in this model; primarily entity authentication, key secrecy and key authentication. To further strengthen our “pen-and-paper” findings, we model the protocol and its security guarantees using Tamarin, providing an automated proof of the security against a Dolev-Yao attacker.
Hybrid cryptographic protocol was proposed by integrating quantum-safe algorithms (Kyber and Dilithium) together with a classical ECDSA-based signature scheme to verify secure proof on blockchain. Since quantum computers pose some loopholes in existing cryptography algorithms, the proposed mechanism addresses those vulnerabilities by maintaining compatibility with the existing infrastructure. The protocol integrates post-quantum key exchange to derive shared secrets securely. The shared secrets are used to enable hybrid encryption for efficient data protection. Additionally, the implementation uses a dual-signature approach, using quantum safe and classical signatures. These signatures are combined to ensure robust and tamper-resistant proof verification. The deployed solution validates its feasibility and efficiency for smart contract-based verification. The protocol maintains backward compatibility with existing systems while providing strong resistance to quantum attacks. Benchmark results demonstrate the system’s scalability and robustness under high transaction loads, with efficient gas usage for on-chain proof validation. This approach paves the way for post-quantum secure applications, including verifiable proofs, secure key exchanges, and decentralized systems resilient to quantum adversaries.
The exponential development of quantum computing represents a serious threat to the existence of the modern cybersecurity infrastructure. Fault-tolerant large-scale quantum computing will be realized roughly five to ten years hence, and will make most of the current standards for asymmetric cryptography-such as RSA and ECC-deviant. While mitigations, such as Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offer possible countermeasures, both are hampered by vulnerabilities of their own. Respectively, PQC relies on unproven mathematical hardness assumptions that are always subject to future algorithmic innovations, while QKD is limited by the physical requirements of a dedicated quantum channel.This paper presents a new hybrid protocol which aims to solve these limitations by combining PQC and QKD into a unified design. The proposed scheme will hybridize the secure key resulting from the BB84-based QKD protocol with a second secret derived by using a lattice-based PQC key exchange, using a strong hybrid key derivation function. It deals with a point-to-point transport-layer model, which is in line with the technological limitations of QKD models at present. The implementation would need trusted nodes or quantum repeaters, which are beyond the reach of this implementation. The system is implemented on a dual-channel platform: the quantum channel is used for key distribution and the classical channel is used for PQC negotiation and secure data transmission, all classical communication is authenticated by HMAC. The resulting architecture is a future-proof quantum-safe communication system that will protect government sensitive data, as well as financial and e-commerce enterprises, thus ensuring the transition to a quantum resistant digital society in the face of a catastrophic event that would have a massive financial and societal impact.