In particular, lattice-based post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) schemes are believed to be good candidates for increased resilience in the quantum era (e.g., Shor and Grover). Still, most proposed solutions lack full consideration of the practical constraints imposed by resource-constrained systems (limited processing speed, memory, battery capacity, and the sustainability costs of large-scale cryptographic computation). Motivated by this gap, this paper discusses a use case in the form of a practical post-quantum security framework that combines lightweight lattice-based encryption/decryption and key encapsulation/decapsulation, with an evaluation methodology for performance and sustainability. Methodologically, the framework (i) models a quantum-compatible adversary and establishes security goals for limited networks, (ii) creates and tuneshigh-performance lattice-based cryptographic parameters further influenced by classic Kyber/NTRU applied settings, and (iii) demonstrates protocol-level feasibility through simulated network scenarios realised through Contiki-NG and NS-3. Performance is measured in terms of encryption/decryption latency, energy consumption, and communication overhead, and sustainability is expressed through environmental impact indicators (carbon footprint) mapped to the energy consumption of modelled computation/communication, considering device-dependent coefficients and configurable emission factors. The simulation results indicate that the average encryption and decryption times are approximately 120 ms and 110 ms, respectively, and that the average energy consumption is below four mJ on edge devices. The COMMOPs incurs a communication overhead about 72% higher than that of previous classical schemes, but remains acceptable in these three low-power network settings. In sum, the framework we propose is a comprehensive roadmap for scalable quantum-safe security deployment, with an emphasis on the human and environmental challenges outlined above.
In particular, lattice-based post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) schemes are believed to be good candidates for increased resilience in the quantum era (e.g., Shor and Grover). Still, most proposed solutions lack full consideration of the practical constraints imposed by resource-constrained systems (limited processing speed, memory, battery capacity, and the sustainability costs of large-scale cryptographic computation). Motivated by this gap, this paper discusses a use case in the form of a practical post-quantum security framework that combines lightweight lattice-based encryption/decryption and key encapsulation/decapsulation, with an evaluation methodology for performance and sustainability. Methodologically, the framework (i) models a quantum-compatible adversary and establishes security goals for limited networks, (ii) creates and tuneshigh-performance lattice-based cryptographic parameters further influenced by classic Kyber/NTRU applied settings, and (iii) demonstrates protocol-level feasibility through simulated network scenarios realised through Contiki-NG and NS-3. Performance is measured in terms of encryption/decryption latency, energy consumption, and communication overhead, and sustainability is expressed through environmental impact indicators (carbon footprint) mapped to the energy consumption of modelled computation/communication, considering device-dependent coefficients and configurable emission factors. The simulation results indicate that the average encryption and decryption times are approximately 120 ms and 110 ms, respectively, and that the average energy consumption is below four mJ on edge devices. The COMMOPs incurs a communication overhead about 72% higher than that of previous classical schemes, but remains acceptable in these three low-power network settings. In sum, the framework we propose is a comprehensive roadmap for scalable quantum-safe security deployment, with an emphasis on the human and environmental challenges outlined above.
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is a critical area of research aimed at addressing the threat quantum computing poses to traditional cryptographic systems. It focuses on evaluating the efficiency, security, and practical performance of PQC algorithms through experimental analysis. This research supports the development of optimized cryptographic solutions, contributes to standardization efforts, and ensures secure and efficient implementations for a wide range of applications. Despite progress in PQC, gaps still exist in practical performance evaluations, particularly in resource-constrained environments. There is a lack of standardized comparisons, hindering the selection of suitable algorithms for specific use cases like IoT and cloud systems. Furthermore, research on scalability, integration challenges, and the trade-offs between security and efficiency remains insufficient. The methodology involves creating a comprehensive framework to evaluate various PQC algorithms, including lattice-based (e.g., Kyber, Dilithium), code-based (e.g., McEliece), and hash-based (e.g., SPHINCS+). These algorithms will be tested in diverse environments, from resource-constrained devices to high-performance infrastructures such as cloud platforms. Key metrics such as encryption/decryption speed, key sizes, memory usage, and computational efficiency will be measured, focusing on the trade-offs between security, efficiency, and scalability. The results will be benchmarked against standardized metrics to provide a clear understanding of each algorithm's suitability for real-world deployment. The findings indicate that lattice-based algorithms like Kyber offer a strong balance between security and efficiency but require considerable computational resources. Code-based algorithms like McEliece are highly secure but come with large key sizes and slower speeds. Hash-based schemes like SPHINCS+ provide strong security but are computationally expensive, making them less suitable for resource-limited systems. The highlights the importance of optimizing PQC algorithms according to specific application requirements, where the choice of algorithm must balance security, efficiency, and resource constraints, with continuous optimization needed to address evolving real-world demands.
Quantum computing is also posing a serious challenge to the classical cryptographic algorithms like RSA and ECC as they have vulnerability to quantum algorithms such as Shor and Grover. This is a serious problem to Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing systems, where billions of devices work with strict resource constraints in processing power, memory and energy. To resolve this, we are introducing a minimal postquantum cryptography model to be used in edge platforms with constraints on their resources. This framework combines fierce encapsulation of key (Kyber512) on a lattice with traditional ECDH in a hybrid system of key establishment, along with the Ascon AEAD encryption algorithm to provide effective data hiding and integrity provision. Furthermore, rekeying and forward secrecy on a lightweight basis is possible to reconfigure a layer with negligible overhead on a secure transmission with forward secrecy. The experimental data with ARM Cortex-M and RISC-V architectures and 128-bit post-quantum security has shown that the proposed system can reduce the latency by up to 30 percent and the energy usage by up to 35 percent and considerably better throughput than PQC-only implementations. These findings validate the fact that hybrid PQC solutions have the potential to provide high-resistance quantum with minimal overhead and thus are best suited to IoT and edge applications. The paper offers a viable and extensible security design in conformance with the NIST PQC and IETF migration policies, which can support secure communication in the post-quantum era.
It is also worth noting that the implementation of quantum computing has been a big threat to the classical cryptographic algorithms that are popular in secure networked systems. PostQuantum Cryptography (PQC) has come to play as one of the viable answers to this issue because it has the capacity to resist quantum-enabled attacks. In this paper, the author offers a detailed performance analysis of post-quantum cryptographic algorithms, lattice-based encryption which is based on the Learning with Errors (LWE) principle, and hashbased digital signatures which is based on SPHINCS+. An experimental environment was created that is controlled by using specific performance measures, such as time of key generation, the latency of encryption and decryption, amount of memory, and the size of keys and ciphertext. To determine the suitability of PQC in guaranteeing confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity over insecure channels, secure network communication was emulated. Through experimental findings, it has been shown that the lattice-based generation of keys has greater overhead in terms of computation and memory, but the encryption, decryption and signature processes have feasible limits. The results validate the practicability of the post-quantum cryptography mechanisms implementation in the practical secure network systems and the trade-off between the increased quantum resistance and the resource consumption.
the rapid advancement of quantum computing introduces substantial risks to classical cryptographic algorithms that rely on number-theoretic problems, such as the Rivest–Shamir–Adleman algorithm and elliptic curve cryptography. These cryptographic primitives are susceptible to polynomial-time quantum algorithms like those proposed by Shor and Grover, thereby endangering the security of contemporary digital infrastructures. In light of these emerging threats, the global cryptographic community is prioritizing the development and deployment of quantum-resistant cryptographic techniques. These include diverse algorithmic families such as those based on lattices, hash functions, error-correcting codes, and multivariate polynomials. Each approach exhibits distinct trade-offs in terms of computational performance, key length, signature size, and long-term resilience. This paper introduces a hybrid cryptographic framework optimized for specific application domains, particularly those with limited computational and energy resources. The proposed architecture strategically combines lattice-based encryption, hash-based digital signatures, and code-based key encapsulation mechanisms to form a unified model for secure data transmission. The architecture is implemented and evaluated across heterogeneous computing environments, including low-power embedded systems and Field-Programmable Gate Arrays. Experimental metrics such as execution latency, computational overhead, memory consumption, and energy efficiency are assessed and benchmarked against traditional single-algorithm deployments. The findings demonstrate that the hybrid approach maintains strong quantum resistance while significantly reducing performance penalties, making it suitable for mobile platforms, Internet of Things environments, and real-time communication systems. Future work should emphasize further fine-tuning for specific industrial domains, standardization of hybrid cryptographic protocols, and integration with artificial intelligence-based adaptive security layers to ensure sustainability in the approaching quantum era.
The rapid advancement of quantum computing poses a critical threat to classical cryptographic algorithms such as RSA and ECC, particularly in Internet of Things (IoT) devices, where secure communication is essential but often constrained by limited computational resources. This paper investigates the feasibility of deploying post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms on resource-constrained devices. In particular, we implement three PQC algorithms - BIKE, CRYSTALS-Kyber, and HQC - on a lightweight IoT platform built with Raspberry Pi devices. Leveraging the Open Quantum Safe (liboqs) library in conjunction with mbedTLS, we develop quantumsecure key exchange protocols, and evaluate their performance in terms of computational overhead, memory usage, and energy consumption for quantum secure communication. Experimental results demonstrate that the integration of PQC algorithms on constrained hardware is practical, reinforcing the urgent need for quantum-resilient cryptographic frameworks in next-generation IoT devices. The implementation of this paper is available at https://iqsec-lab.github.io/PQC-IoT/.
The rapid advancement of quantum computing poses a critical threat to classical cryptographic algorithms such as RSA and ECC, particularly in Internet of Things (IoT) devices, where secure communication is essential but often constrained by limited computational resources. This paper investigates the feasibility of deploying post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms on resource-constrained devices. In particular, we implement three PQC algorithms - BIKE, CRYSTALS-Kyber, and HQC - on a lightweight IoT platform built with Raspberry Pi devices. Leveraging the Open Quantum Safe (liboqs) library in conjunction with mbedTLS, we develop quantumsecure key exchange protocols, and evaluate their performance in terms of computational overhead, memory usage, and energy consumption for quantum secure communication. Experimental results demonstrate that the integration of PQC algorithms on constrained hardware is practical, reinforcing the urgent need for quantum-resilient cryptographic frameworks in next-generation IoT devices. The implementation of this paper is available at https://iqsec-lab.github.io/PQC-IoT/.