IEEE Annual Computing and Communication Workshop and Conference (CCWC)

Towards a Quantum-Resistant HashBlock Signature Scheme for Secure loT Applications

Efat Fathalla, Michael Jorgensen, Sean Harvey, Mohamed Azab

Published Jan 6, 2025• 2 citations

Abstract

Quantum computing poses a significant threat to the security of IoT networks, as traditional cryptographic algorithms such as RSA and ECC become vulnerable to quantum attacks. While research into post-quantum cryptography is ongoing, many proposed solutions remain resource-intensive. Merkle tree-based one-time signature (OTS) schemes, commonly used for key management, impose substantial computational and communication burdens, particularly when generating signature verification paths. This paper proposes a lightweight post-quantum key man-agement scheme called the hashblock signature scheme (HBSS). By utilizing an N-dimensional matrix structure, HBSS reduces communication, storage, and computational demands, making it a scalable and efficient solution for IoT digital signatures, thereby enhancing security while minimizing resource usage.

DOI: 10.1109/ccwc62904.2025.10903919

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