The rapid advancement of quantum computing poses a significant threat to classical cryptographic methods used in blockchain-based healthcare systems. Existing security mechanisms such as RSA and ECC are vulnerable to quantum attacks, posing a risk to patient data integrity, confidentiality, and authentication mechanisms. To address this challenge, postquantum cryptographic (PQC) solutions, including lattice-based, hash-based, code-based, and multivariate polynomial-based techniques, have been proposed. This study systematically reviews and classifies PQC methods and their integration into blockchainbased healthcare infrastructures. A three-layer security model is discussed to enhance blockchain resilience against quantum attacks. The study further explores on-chain, off-chain, and crosschain security mechanisms within healthcare applications to ensure secure medical data storage, patient identity management, and interoperability among healthcare providers. The findings suggest that hybrid cryptographic models, combining classical and post-quantum techniques, provide a practical transition strategy for ensuring long-term security in blockchain networks. This research contributes to the field by offering a structured classification of quantum-resistant blockchain security mechanisms and providing insights into future research directions, particularly in the areas of quantum-safe healthcare data management, performance optimization of PQC methods, and the development of quantum-resistant smart contracts.
The rapid advancement of quantum computing poses a significant threat to classical cryptographic methods used in blockchain-based healthcare systems. Existing security mechanisms such as RSA and ECC are vulnerable to quantum attacks, posing a risk to patient data integrity, confidentiality, and authentication mechanisms. To address this challenge, postquantum cryptographic (PQC) solutions, including lattice-based, hash-based, code-based, and multivariate polynomial-based techniques, have been proposed. This study systematically reviews and classifies PQC methods and their integration into blockchainbased healthcare infrastructures. A three-layer security model is discussed to enhance blockchain resilience against quantum attacks. The study further explores on-chain, off-chain, and crosschain security mechanisms within healthcare applications to ensure secure medical data storage, patient identity management, and interoperability among healthcare providers. The findings suggest that hybrid cryptographic models, combining classical and post-quantum techniques, provide a practical transition strategy for ensuring long-term security in blockchain networks. This research contributes to the field by offering a structured classification of quantum-resistant blockchain security mechanisms and providing insights into future research directions, particularly in the areas of quantum-safe healthcare data management, performance optimization of PQC methods, and the development of quantum-resistant smart contracts.
The rapid advancement of quantum computing poses a significant threat to current cryptographic standards, particularly those securing electronic health records (EHRs) in healthcare systems.Traditional encryption methods such as RSA, ECC, and AES, while robust against classical attacks, are vulnerable to quantum algorithms like Shor's and Grover's, which can efficiently break cryptographic keys and compromise patient data integrity.As healthcare systems become increasingly interconnected through the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud-based infrastructures, the need for quantum-resistant security mechanisms becomes paramount.Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) emerges as a viable solution to future-proof EHR security by employing lattice-based, hash-based, code-based, and multivariate polynomial cryptographic techniques that remain resistant to quantum attacks.This paper explores the implications of quantum computing on healthcare cybersecurity, emphasizing the vulnerabilities of existing encryption protocols and the necessity of transitioning toward PQC frameworks.Furthermore, we examine the integration of PQC within healthcare infrastructures, focusing on key exchange mechanisms, digital signatures, and end-to-end encryption for secure EHR transactions.Additionally, the study highlights regulatory and compliance considerations, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) PQC standardization efforts and the role of Zero Trust security models in mitigating quantum-era cyber risks.Case studies illustrate successful implementations of PQC in healthcare networks, demonstrating its feasibility and effectiveness in safeguarding sensitive medical information.By adopting quantum-resistant cryptographic standards, healthcare institutions can proactively defend against emerging cyber threats, ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and long-term resilience in the face of quantum computing advancements.
Quantum computers are capable of solving problems that classical computers cannot, particularly in the realm of cryptographic algorithms such as RSA, DSA, and ECC. Post quantum cryptography refers classical cryptographic algorithm that are designed to secure sensitive data. This research explores the application of post-quantum cryptographic techniques in healthcare systems, with a specific focus on integrating Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) with Genetic Algorithms (GA) for enhanced key optimization. As quantum computing advances, traditional cryptographic systems employed in health care are more and more vulnerable to being broken. Security of sensitive patient information—like electronic health records (EHRs), diagnostic data, and personally identifiable information— requires strong solutions that can handle future quantum attacks. Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) provides a hopeful way forward by employing quantum computer-resistant algorithms. This paper investigates the deployment of PQC methods—e.g., lattice-based, hash-based, and multivariate polynomial cryptography—inside healthcare systems to improve data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It assesses the weaknesses of present encryption technologies and introduces PQC as a necessary update to protect patient information from sophisticated cyberattacks. The study also addresses the interoperability, computational overhead, and infrastructure readiness challenges of implementing PQC in healthcare. By implementing quantum-resilient cryptographic protocols, healthcare facilities are able to future-proof data protection practices and guarantee the safeguarding of patient data in an era governed by quantum computing.
The advent of quantum computing poses an existential threat to contemporary cryptographic standards, particularly those securing decentralized blockchain networks and cloud infrastructures.Classical public-key cryptosystems such as RSA, ECC, and DH, which rely on factorization and discrete logarithm problems, are rendered obsolete by Shor's algorithm, necessitating the transition toward post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) solutions.This study explores the integration of PQC algorithms, including lattice-based, hash-based, code-based, multivariate, and isogeny-based cryptographic mechanisms, within blockchain-ledger technologies and cloud architectures to ensure long-term security against quantum adversaries.A comparative analysis is conducted to evaluate computational efficiency, key size implications, communication overhead, and security resilience under quantum attack models.The research highlights the adaptation of PQC within blockchain consensus mechanisms, smart contract execution, and cryptographic primitives such as digital signatures, zero-knowledge proofs, and secure multi-party computation (MPC).Additionally, it examines the impact of PQC on cloud security, addressing challenges in quantum-safe key exchange protocols, homomorphic encryption for secure computations, and cross-platform interoperability within hybrid quantum-classical cloud ecosystems.Real-world implementations and benchmarking data provide insights into the feasibility of large-scale adoption, shedding light on standardization efforts by NIST and industry consortia.The study concludes with future directions, emphasizing the need for efficient PQC algorithm optimization, lightweight cryptographic frameworks for IoT-driven blockchain applications, and scalable post-quantum identity management systems.By establishing quantum-resistant security frameworks, this research underscores the imperative need for early adoption to mitigate cryptographic vulnerabilities in the impending post-quantum era.
The rapid digitalisation of healthcare has accelerated the adoption of telemedicine, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), transforming healthcare delivery into a highly interconnected and patient-centric ecosystem. In response to growing concerns about data security, privacy, and interoperability, blockchain technology has emerged as a promising solution for its decentralization, immutability, auditability, and secure access control. However, many existing blockchain infrastructures rely on classical cryptographic primitives, including RSA- or elliptic-curve-based public-key mechanisms and cryptographic hash functions such as SHA-256, whose relevant security properties may be affected by sufficiently powerful quantum attacks. This review investigates the convergence of blockchain and quantum technologies to address emerging security threats in e-health systems. A structured literature review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines using the IEEE Xplore, PubMed, ACM Digital Library, Google Scholar, and Crossref databases, covering studies published between January 2018 and June 2025. Following a systematic screening and eligibility-verification process, 57 relevant studies were selected and analyzed. The review evaluates quantum-resilient security mechanisms, including Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Quantum Random Number Generation (QRNG), and NIST-standardized Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) algorithms specified in FIPS 203, FIPS 204, and FIPS 205. Based on the identified research gaps in the state of the art, this study also proposes a novel four-layer Quantum-Blockchain Security Architecture (QBSA) designed for secure healthcare environments. The analysis further reveals significant challenges associated with lightweight PQC deployment for IoMT devices, interoperability standardization, quantum hardware limitations, and regulatory compliance in cross-institutional healthcare systems. The findings highlight the necessity of integrating quantum-resilient cryptographic frameworks with blockchain infrastructures to support the development of secure, scalable, and patient-centric next-generation e-health ecosystems.
The increasing digitalization of the healthcare system, driven by electronic health records, medical IoT devices, and AI-aided diagnostics, has significantly expanded the attack surface for cyber threats. Although current cryptographic protocols provide sufficient security against classical adversaries, new developments in quantum computing threaten the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of medical information as never before. Shor’s algorithm could break widely used asymmetric encryption systems, and Grover’s algorithm weakens symmetric ones, which could render modern healthcare security systems obsolete. This review provides an in-depth and organized analysis of the evolving quantum threat environment in healthcare ecosystems and of the need to move toward quantum-resilient security architectures. It synthesizes the existing literature on post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and identifies lattice-based, hash-based, multivariate, and code-based algorithms as potentially viable long-term replacements. Moreover, it examines the cybersecurity issues that quantum-enabled attacks pose to medical IoT systems, clinical decision-support systems, wearable sensors, telemedicine systems, and cloud-based health information exchanges. The review also covers hybrid quantum-classical defenses, quantum key distribution (QKD), quantum random number generation (QRNG), and blockchain-based trust systems that aim to make systems resilient to advanced persistent quantum attacks. This paper identifies key gaps and outlines future research directions for developing quantum-secure medical systems. The results highlight the importance of early adoption of PQC standards and a layered cyber defense approach to protect patient privacy, ensure regulatory compliance, and retain trust in next-generation digital medical data communication.
The fast-growing development of quantum computing is a great threat to classical cryptographic protocols underpinning the security of blockchain networks. The use of quantum attacks on algorithms, like RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) used to perform digital signatures and verify transactions, is susceptible to the quantum attack, especially the Shor algorithm. This is an emerging risk that casts doubt on long term reliability and trustworthiness of blockchain systems in their various applications in the fields of finance to the field of healthcare. To overcome this difficulty, new cryptographic primitives exist, developed by the field of post quantum cryptography (PQC), which resist quantum computational power, such as lattice based, hash based, multivariate and code based. This paper examines how quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms can be implemented into blockchain architecture, and how their security, scalability, and performance impacts can be assessed. Moreover, there are hybrid schemes that adapt classical and quantum safe schemes are taken as the transitional schemes to make backward compatibility. This study identifies practical avenues towards realising quantum resilient blockchain systems that are capable of supporting security in the post quantum era by analysing and comparing their possible implementations.