The rapid advancement of quantum computing poses a significant threat to conventional public-key cryptographic mechanisms deployed in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs). Due to their decentralized architecture, dynamic topology, and resource-constrained nodes, MANETs require security solutions that are not only quantum-resistant but also computationally efficient. This paper presents a comparative evaluation of lattice-based and code-based post-quantum digital signature schemes for secure data transmission in MANET environments. The study focuses on analyzing key performance parameters including key generation time, signature and verification latency, end-to-end transmission delay, and overall security strength under varying mobility conditions. Simulation experiments are conducted using realistic mobility datasets and network models to assess the feasibility of deploying post-quantum signatures in dynamic MANET scenarios. The results demonstrate that while lattice-based schemes offer better computational efficiency, code-based schemes provide stronger security guarantees at the cost of increased communication overhead. This work highlights the critical trade-offs between security, performance, and scalability, and provides practical insights for designing lightweight post-quantum security frameworks for future mobile networks.
The rapid advancement of quantum computing poses a significant threat to conventional public-key cryptographic mechanisms deployed in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs). Due to their decentralized architecture, dynamic topology, and resource-constrained nodes, MANETs require security solutions that are not only quantum-resistant but also computationally efficient. This paper presents a comparative evaluation of lattice-based and code-based post-quantum digital signature schemes for secure data transmission in MANET environments. The study focuses on analyzing key performance parameters including key generation time, signature and verification latency, end-to-end transmission delay, and overall security strength under varying mobility conditions. Simulation experiments are conducted using realistic mobility datasets and network models to assess the feasibility of deploying post-quantum signatures in dynamic MANET scenarios. The results demonstrate that while lattice-based schemes offer better computational efficiency, code-based schemes provide stronger security guarantees at the cost of increased communication overhead. This work highlights the critical trade-offs between security, performance, and scalability, and provides practical insights for designing lightweight post-quantum security frameworks for future mobile networks.
Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) enable flexible, infrastructure-less communication for mission critical applications but they are vulnerable impersonation and routing attacks. Quantum computing threatens classical public-key primitives (RSA, ECC) used in MANET security, driving interest in post-quantum cryptography (PQC) for decentralized, resource limited settings. This survey reviews PQC techniques and its application to MANETs, focusing on signature, key exchange, and encryption primitives from lattice based, code base, hash base, and multivariate based families. Synthesizing findings from 40+ studies, we compare security, overheads, and feasibility for constrained nodes and dynamic topologies. Lattice based schemes (Kyber, Dilithium) offer the best balance of security and efficiency, though large keys and CPU costs hinder adoption. Lightweight primitives and hybrid models (PQC with symmetric cryptography) show promise. Key gaps include few lightweight implementations, limited routing level integration (e.g., OLSRv2), and scarce real world validation. Future work should optimize PQC for low power devices, embed it into MANET protocols, and test via simulation and hardware to enable practical, quantum resilient deployments.
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.
The advent of quantum computing poses significant challenges to traditional cryptographic systems, threatening the confidentiality, integrity and authenticity of digital communications. This paper investigates the integration of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) algorithms into mobile communication systems to address these challenges. The study focuses on evaluating key PQC algorithms shortlisted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), including CRYSTALS-Kyber, CRYSTALS-Dilithium, Falcon and SPHINCS+, within the context of 5G and future mobile network architectures. The research encompasses the design and implementation of an experimental framework involving mobile devices, servers, and cloud-based infrastructure to simulate real-world communication scenarios. Performance metrics such as key generation time, signature generation, encryption and decryption speed, and resource consumption were analyzed across various devices to identify algorithms suitable for mobile environments. The findings reveal that lattice-based algorithms, such as Kyber and Dilithium, offer a promising balance between security and efficiency, making them ideal for resource-constrained devices. In contrast, hash-based algorithms like SPHINCS+ exhibit higher computational demands, limiting their practicality in certain applications. This work highlights the importance of algorithm selection and hardware optimization in ensuring secure and efficient communications in the quantum era. By integrating theoretical advancements in PQC with practical applications, this research lays the foundation for quantum-resistant security in mobile networks, ensuring secure and future-ready digital communications.
The emergence of quantum computing is expected to break many conventional cryptographic algorithms currently used for authentication and secure communication. Existing security mechanisms in Next Generation Networks (NGNs), including 5G, IoT, smart healthcare, and cloud-based systems, are increasingly vulnerable to future quantum attacks. This research presents a lightweight and efficient Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) based authentication framework specifically designed for next generation network environments. The proposed framework combines quantum-resistant cryptographic techniques with optimized authentication procedures to provide secure identity verification, confidential communication, and attack resistance with minimal computational complexity. The model emphasizes reduced overhead, faster authentication response, and scalability for resource-constrained devices. Security analysis shows that the framework can effectively defend against replay attacks, impersonation attacks, session hijacking, and quantum-based cryptanalytic threats. Experimental evaluation indicates that the proposed approach achieves improved security performance while maintaining low latency and reduced resource consumption, making it suitable for practical deployment in future intelligent communication networks.
The rapid proliferation of IoT technology has brought billions of devices into play that need to operate in a variety of diverse, resource-constrained environments. Secure authentication among these devices is a critical challenge, as traditional certificate-based public key infrastructures incur heavy computation and management overhead. Moreover, recent breakthroughs in quantum computing put at risk the security of classical cryptographic algorithms commonly used in IoT systems. This paper proposes a post-quantum certificateless authentication framework designed to address the efficiency-long-term security requirements of IoT environments. The proposed framework uses lattice-based cryptography to resist quantum-enabled adversaries while eliminating the need for digital certificates. The certificateless approach evades the problem of key escrow of identity-based cryptography and simplifies the key management process. A lightweight authentication protocol, which is suitable for constrained IoT devices, is developed. Security analyses prove that our proposed framework resists common attacks such as impersonation, replay, and man-in-the-middle attacks. The performance evaluation shows that our proposed framework reduces the communication and computational overheads compared with the traditional certificatebased authentication schemes. In this way, it is appropriate for large-scale and futureproof deployments of IoT systems.
Public key cryptography plays a pivotal role in maintaining digital security and privacy, with its foundations built on the hardness of certain mathematical problems. However, the emergence of quantum computing threatens the security of current cryptographic systems, making the adoption of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) an urgent necessity. Digital signature schemes are essential components in secure communications, providing authentication, non-repudiation, and data integrity. This paper examines the state of post-quantum digital signature schemes across various cryptographic approaches, including lattice-based, code-based, multivariate polynomial-based, hash-based, symmetric-key-based, and isogeny-based systems, alongside advancements in Multi-Party Computation in the Head (MPC-in-the-head) schemes. The paper then explores application-specific signatures such as blind, undeniable, threshold, chameleon, aggregate, and ring signatures, explaining their main use cases and the existing post-quantum cryptographic classifications that support these constructions individually. Software implementations of selected prominent PQC digital signature schemes were carried out, and their performance was systematically analysed using metrics such as bandwidth consumption, latency, and computational efficiency. These results provide key observations regarding the suitability of different schemes for both resource-constrained and high-performance environments. Subsequently, a detailed literature review of implementations on embedded and hardware platforms is presented, focusing on ARM-based devices and FPGA accelerators to evaluate deployment feasibility beyond general-purpose processors. Based on the software and implementation-level findings, a comparative analysis across software, embedded, and hardware platforms is conducted to highlight architectural influences on performance, scalability, and practicality. Furthermore the cryptanalytic attacks on post-quantum digital signature schemes across various PQC classifications are examined in this paper, taking into account both classical and quantum adversarial models. To evaluate realistic security constraints, implementation-oriented vulnerabilities such as side-channel and fault-based attacks are also examined. In addition, the applicability of post-quantum digital signature schemes within TLS, IoT, and related practical deployment scenarios is analysed. The study also discusses possible directions for further investigation, focusing on the requirement for effective and expandable PQC systems that can satisfy changing cybersecurity requirements. In order to protect sensitive data in the digital era, this study emphasizes the need for implementing quantum-secure systems by fusing theoretical understandings with real-world applications.