This thesis explores key literature on lattice-based post-quantum cryptography and its elements. Chapter 2 introduces key computational concepts, including complexity theory and various models of computation, to establish the theoretical basis for cryptographic security. Chapter 3 provides an overview of classical cryptographic techniques, setting the stage for the transition to quantum-resistant approaches. Chapters 4 and 5 investigate lattice theory and its associated hard problems. Chapter 6 focuses on classical algorithms for lattice reduction that are relevant to both analyzing and solving lattice-based cryptographic problems. Appendices A and B supplement the main content with relevant mathematical back- ground and introductory concepts in quantum computing.
This thesis explores key literature on lattice-based post-quantum cryptography and its elements. Chapter 2 introduces key computational concepts, including complexity theory and various models of computation, to establish the theoretical basis for cryptographic security. Chapter 3 provides an overview of classical cryptographic techniques, setting the stage for the transition to quantum-resistant approaches. Chapters 4 and 5 investigate lattice theory and its associated hard problems. Chapter 6 focuses on classical algorithms for lattice reduction that are relevant to both analyzing and solving lattice-based cryptographic problems. Appendices A and B supplement the main content with relevant mathematical back- ground and introductory concepts in quantum computing.
The landscape of modern cryptography is fundamentally challenged by the advent of quantum computing. Current public-key cryptosystems, which form the bedrock of secure digital communication, rely on the computational hardness of problems such as integer factorization (RSA) and the discrete logarithm problem (ECC). However, Shor's algorithm, if implemented on a sufficiently powerful quantum computer, can efficiently break these schemes, rendering them insecure. This paper explores the critical transition from these classical number theory problems to lattice-based cryptography, presenting a comprehensive analysis of the motivations, theoretical underpinnings, and practical implications for forging post-quantum cryptographic security. We delve into the mathematical foundations of lattice problems, such as the Shortest Vector Problem (SVP) and Learning With Errors (LWE), which are believed to resist known quantum algorithms. Through a thorough literature review, we trace the evolution of cryptographic thought, detailing the vulnerabilities of pre-quantum schemes and the emergence of lattice-based constructions as leading candidates for post-quantum standardization. The methodology outlines a comparative theoretical analysis of security, efficiency, and robustness against both classical and quantum attacks. Results demonstrate the compelling advantages of lattice-based schemes in terms of provable security reductions and resistance to quantum threats, albeit with considerations for increased key and ciphertext sizes. The discussion highlights the challenges and opportunities in the deployment and standardization of these new cryptographic primitives, emphasizing their critical role in securing future digital infrastructures. This work concludes that lattice-based cryptography offers a robust and theoretically sound pathway to establishing enduring security in a quantum-threatened world.
The landscape of modern cryptography, traditionally anchored in the computational hardness of number-theoretic problems such as integer factorization and the discrete logarithm problem, faces an existential threat from the advent of quantum computing. Shor's algorithm, discovered in 1994, demonstrates the theoretical capability of a sufficiently powerful quantum computer to efficiently solve these problems, rendering widely used cryptographic schemes like RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) insecure. This imminent threat necessitates a paradigm shift towards post-quantum cryptography (PQC), which aims to develop cryptographic algorithms resistant to both classical and quantum attacks. Among the various candidates for PQC, lattice-based cryptography has emerged as a particularly promising area. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the transition from classical number theory-based cryptography to lattice-based schemes. We explore the fundamental mathematical principles underlying lattices, introduce key lattice problems such as the Shortest Vector Problem (SVP), Closest Vector Problem (CVP), Small Integer Solution (SIS), and Learning With Errors (LWE), and discuss their application in constructing quantum-resistant cryptographic primitives. Furthermore, we analyze the security, efficiency, and practical considerations of prominent lattice-based cryptosystems, highlighting their role in the ongoing NIST post-quantum cryptography standardization process. The paper concludes by discussing the challenges and future directions in the deployment and research of lattice-based cryptographic solutions.
This chapter introduces lattice-based cryptography, a critical mathematical framework for securing communications in the post-quantum era. While classical public-key cryptosystems rely on the intractability of integer factorization and discrete logarithms, these foundations are fundamentally vulnerable to quantum computing threats, specifically Shor's algorithm. To address this vulnerability, the text explores cryptosystems built upon the algebraic structure of lattices, defined as discrete points in n-dimensional Euclidean space generated by linearly independent vectors. The chapter systematically covers the mathematical properties of lattices, associated computational problems, and distance metrics. It provides an in-depth examination of lattice basis reduction algorithms, which are fundamental to both the design and security evaluation of these systems. Furthermore, the chapter details the operational mechanics—including encryption, decryption, and cryptanalysis—of prominent post-quantum architectures, specifically the GGH and NTRU public-key cryptosystems. By transitioning from classical number theory to high-dimensional geometry, this chapter equips readers with the cryptographic primitives necessary to withstand future quantum attacks.
The rapid development of quantum computing technologies poses a serious threat to modern public-key cryptographic systems. Classical cryptographic algorithms such as RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography rely on mathematical problems that can be efficiently solved using quantum algorithms. Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) aims to develop cryptographic schemes that remain secure even in the presence of quantum adversaries. This paper investigates the mathematical foundations of PQC, focusing on lattice-based, code-based, and hash-based cryptographic constructions. Security models based on computational complexity theory are analyzed, and illustrative examples using Learning With Errors (LWE) and decoding problems are presented. Experimental analysis demonstrates that PQC schemes provide strong resistance against both classical and quantum attacks when appropriate parameters are selected. The results highlight the importance of adopting new cryptographic standards to ensure long-term data security in quantum computing environments.
Abstract The paper provides an overview of the main approaches to the construction of post-quantum cryptographic systems that are currently used. The area of lattice-based cryptography is analyzed in detail. We give the description and characterization of some known lattice-based cryptosystems whose resilience is based on the complexity of the shortest vector problem, learning with errors problem, and their variations. The main approaches to solving the problems from lattice theory, on which attacks on the corresponding cryptosystems are based, are analyzed. In particular, some known theoretical estimates of time and memory complexity of lattice basis reduction and lattice sieving algorithms are presented.
Classical cryptography has been around for a long time in the documented human history, but most classical ciphers were broken and even solved by hand. Shannon introduced the notion of perfect secrecy that formally defines confidentiality in the information-theoretic sense, which is only possible in the restricted scenarios where the message is no longer than the encryption key. The invention of public-key cryptography (the Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol in 1976 and the RSA crypto-system in 1977) marks the birth of modern cryptography, allowing parties to exchange messages securely without sharing any secrets in advance. Furthermore, it provides computational security based on the conjectured hardness of mathematical problems such as factorization and the discrete logarithm. Public-key cryptography has found numerous applications in the Internet, financial and banking industry, and blockchains, and it plays a crucial role in protecting information security and asset safety. Unfortunately, in the 1990s, Shor proposed efficient quantum algorithms that solve number-theoretic problems, including factorization and discrete logarithms in polynomial time. Once a quantum computer of a particular scale becomes a reality, it will cause a devastating blow to the existing public-key infrastructure. To deal with such a ‘quantum crisis’, academia and industry are looking into the design, analysis and standardization of cryptographic algorithms that can resist quantum computers referred to as post-quantum cryptography (PQC). The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been soliciting proposals for the post-quantum public-key algorithms since 2016. More recently, the Chinese Association for Cryptologic Research (CACR) held a competition on designing cryptographic algorithms whose public-key cryptography track focused on post-quantum cryptographic algorithms. Lattice-based cryptography is considered by most to be the mainstream technical route of post-quantum cryptography, which is reflected in the number of proposals (and their percentage of the total) received in the NIST PQC process. To reflect the status quo of post-quantum cryptography, we invite leading experts in this area to contribute three technical perspectives that aim to help readers understand the algorithms, the underlying basic techniques and different technical routes to achieve quantum resistance. The first perspective, presented by Lu and Zhang, introduces public-key cryptographic algorithms whose quantum security is reducible from the conjectured quantum hardness of lattice problems. In particular, they mainly focus on public-key encryption (PKE) and the key encapsulation mechanism (KEM), which are essential building blocks for securing the confidentiality of communication without pre-shared secrets. Both types of crypto-systems are solicited by the NIST PQC standardization and the CACR algorithm design competition. This perspective gives a comprehensive survey on practical lattice-based PKEs/KEMs, and their best-known quantum and classical attacks. Another important post-quantum crypto-system is digital signature, which ensures that three goals of information security are met other than confidentiality, namely, integrity, authentication and non-repudiation. The second perspective is on lattice-based signature by Lyubashevsky. In this perspective, he surveys different techniques in building lattice-based post-quantum crypto-systems, discusses the challenges in overcoming performance issues and gives us state-of-the-art digital signature schemes. In addition to ensuring the ‘static’ security of information in storage and transmission, advanced cryptographic algorithms and protocols can guarantee information security during the computation process (possibly among multiple parties), referred to as privacy-preserving computation. Cryptographic techniques involved in privacy-preserving computation include secure multi-party computation, zero-knowledge proof and fully homomorphic encryption. There is a pressing need to migrate them to the post-quantum era. The third perspective, by Yu and Xie, presents practical instantiations of these algorithms and discusses possible ways to migrate them to their quantum-resistant counterparts. To summarize, post-quantum cryptography has received widespread attention and made significant progress in recent years. Some post-quantum cryptographic algorithms, such as the lattice-based candidate, also have other advantages (e.g., computational efficiency and full homomorphism) over their classical counterparts. Lattice-based cryptography is an emerging field with high theoretical value and wide application, and we encourage young researchers to enter and explore this new and exciting field.