The widespread use of Internet of Things devices alongside advances in quantum computing presents urgent challenges for secure communication. RSA and ECC have become inadequate, prompting the need for Post-quantum Cryptography (PQC). This work introduces a novel reconciliation-based Module-LWE key exchange protocol that eliminates the traditional encapsulation-decapsulation structure in schemes like Kyber.KE, thereby reducing computational cycles, communication size, and memory footprint. Unlike Kyber and NewHope, the proposed design employs modular rounding with Peikert reconciliation, optimizing the entire key exchange process without requiring additional randomness or ciphertext transmission. By leveraging Peikert’s error reconciliation technique and modular rounding, the proposed protocol achieves a 15% reduction in computational cycles, a 78-byte reduction in communication size, and a 10% decrease in memory usage. Using Open Quantum Safe (OQS) benchmark data, we evaluate performance across Kyber512, Kyber768, and Kyber1024 levels, demonstrating the protocol’s superior energy efficiency and lightweight design. These improvements position our protocol as a secure, efficient, and scalable solution for post-quantum key exchange in resource-constrained environments such as embedded systems and IoT networks.
The widespread use of Internet of Things devices alongside advances in quantum computing presents urgent challenges for secure communication. RSA and ECC have become inadequate, prompting the need for Post-quantum Cryptography (PQC). This work introduces a novel reconciliation-based Module-LWE key exchange protocol that eliminates the traditional encapsulation-decapsulation structure in schemes like Kyber.KE, thereby reducing computational cycles, communication size, and memory footprint. Unlike Kyber and NewHope, the proposed design employs modular rounding with Peikert reconciliation, optimizing the entire key exchange process without requiring additional randomness or ciphertext transmission. By leveraging Peikert’s error reconciliation technique and modular rounding, the proposed protocol achieves a 15% reduction in computational cycles, a 78-byte reduction in communication size, and a 10% decrease in memory usage. Using Open Quantum Safe (OQS) benchmark data, we evaluate performance across Kyber512, Kyber768, and Kyber1024 levels, demonstrating the protocol’s superior energy efficiency and lightweight design. These improvements position our protocol as a secure, efficient, and scalable solution for post-quantum key exchange in resource-constrained environments such as embedded systems and IoT networks.
Lattice-based key exchange protocols have attracted tremendous attention for its post-quantum security. In this work, we construct a Module-LWE-based key exchange protocol using Peikert’s error reconciliation mechanism. Compared with Kyber.KE, our key exchange protocol reduces the total communication cost by 96-byte, i.e., 3.2% ∼ 6.1%, under the different parameter sets, and without reducing the post-quantum security levels. Moreover, our key exchange protocol slightly reduces the probability of session key agreement failure and the time consumed by modular multiplication of numbers and ring elements by approximately 30%. Thus, the key exchange protocol in this paper is more suitable for the lightweight communication systems.
The emergence of quantum computing threatens classical cryptographic systems, including RSA and ECC, potentially compromising the security of pervasive Internet of Things (IoT) deployments. Resourceconstrained IoT devices—such as sensors, embedded controllers, and microcontrollers—face significant challenges in adopting post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) protocols due to computational, memory, and energy limitations. This paper proposes AQ-PQC, an adaptive lightweight hybrid key exchange protocol combining Kyber lattice-based KEM and lightweight elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), specifically designed for constrained devices. AQ-PQC introduces a dynamic parameter tuning algorithm that adjusts key sizes, handshake rounds, and compression ratios based on real-time device state and network conditions. Formal security analysis under the IND-CCA model demonstrates quantum-resistance and forward secrecy. Extensive hardware implementation on Raspberry Pi 4 and ESP32 devices reveals a significant reduction in handshake latency, energy consumption, and memory footprint compared to conventional PQC protocols. The proposed framework provides a practical, reproducible, and secure methodology for post-quantum IoT communications, supporting heterogeneous and resource-limited networks.
Current improvements in quantum computing present a substantial challenge to classical cryptographic systems, which typically rely on problems that can be solved in polynomial time using quantum algorithms. Consequently, post-quantum cryptography (PQC) has emerged as a promising solution to emerging quantum-based cryptographic challenges. The greatest threat is public-key cryptosystems, which are primarily responsible for key exchanges. In PQC, key encapsulation mechanisms (KEMs) are crucial for securing key exchange protocols, particularly in Internet communication, virtual private networks (VPNs), and secure messaging applications. CRYSTALS-Kyber and NTRU are two well-known PQC KEMs offering robust security in the quantum world. However, even when quantum computers are functional, they are not easily accessible. IoT devices will not be able to utilize them directly, so there will still be a requirement to protect IoT devices from quantum attacks. Concerns such as limited computational power, energy efficiency, and memory constraints in devices such as those used in IoTs, embedded systems, and smart cards limit the use of these techniques in constrained environments. These concerns always arise there. To address this issue, this study conducts a broad comparative analysis of Kyber and NTRU, with special focus on their security, performance, and implementation efficiency in such environments (IOT/constrained environments). In addition, a case study was conducted by applying KEMs to a low-power embedded device to analyze their performance in real-world scenarios. These results offer an important comparison for cyber security engineers and cryptographers who are involved in integrating post-quantum cryptography into resource-constrained devices.
With the transition of the world to quantum computing, existing cryptographic algorithms are more exposed, and strong post-quantum solutions are required. Lattice-based cryptography, specifically the Kyber512 algorithm, offers quantum-resistant security that can be utilized in low-resource environments, such as Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Existing key exchange techniques for IoT, including RSA and ECC, are susceptible to quantum attacks and tend to be computationally heavy for low-power devices. Such drawbacks render them inefficient in actual-world smart home solutions, where longevity and security efficiency are required. This research presents a new framework, Smart Home Device Communication Security using L-PKEX – a lightweight post-quantum key exchange algorithm based on Kyber512 - that bridges these gaps. L-PKEX is designed to facilitate the economic and secure exchange of keys among smart home gadgets (e.g., smart locks, sensors, controllers) by utilizing Kyber512. The new proposed L-PKEX approach is used to establish secure communication networks among smart home devices, hubs, or user interfaces. Experimental validation and simulations demonstrate that L-PKEX offers minimal computational overhead and reduced energy consumption while maintaining uncompromised security, compared to conventional approaches. Results prove that L-PKEX is an affordable and scalable solution towards providing quantum-resistant, secure smart home IoT communication.
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.
Abstract The Post-Quantum Lightweight Key Sharing Protocol for Secure MQTT-Based IoT Networks (PQLKS-MQTT) addresses the critical need for quantum-resistant and resource-efficient security in IoT communications. As the proliferation of IoT devices continues, securing MQTT-based networks against evolving threats, including quantum attacks, becomes imperative. PQLKS-MQTT integrates the Kyber Key Encapsulation Mechanism for post-quantum key exchanges, along with BLAKE2s hashing and ChaCha20 encryption, to ensure robust security with minimal resource consumption. Implemented using the Cooja simulator with Contiki OS, Eclipse Mosquitto MQTT broker, and Open Quantum Safe (liboqs) library, the protocol demonstrates superior performance compared to state-of-the-art solutions. Experimental results show that PQLKS-MQTT achieves the lowest CPU energy consumption (0.0000021 mJ), fastest execution time (0.35 seconds), and minimal computational (260 CPU cycles) and communication overheads (55 bytes), with only a slight increase in average energy consumption (0.00145 mJ) due to post-quantum cryptographic operations. This balance between enhanced security and efficient resource utilization makes PQLKS-MQTT a suitable solution for resource-constrained IoT devices and large-scale deployments, offering a scalable, quantum-safe communication framework for future IoT ecosystems.