The rapid expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and the looming risk of quantum computing necessitate a transition from traditional to quantum-resistant cryptographic standards. In this research article, we propose a novel hybrid crypto framework featuring an Adaptive Security Controller (ASC) that dynamically integrates a lightweight symmetric cipher, ChaCha20, with Kyber512 and a post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) scheme Dilithium to secure resource-constrained IoT environments. Unlike existing models that depend either on PQC or lightweight methods, our proposed framework dynamically switches encryption modes based on device constraints, energy availability, and trust levels—delivering a balance among strong security and manageable computational costs. To evaluate our framework, we performed multiple simulations with the Contiki-NG/COOJA platform over several IoT setups. Experimental results show that the proposed approach increase encryption speed by 37% as compared to existing RSA-based methods while keeping energy consumption within 12% of ChaCha20 configurations. In addition, the memory footprint remains under 25 KB RAM and 50 KB ROM, assure compatibility with microcontroller-class devices. By integrating quantum-resistant cryptography with lightweight performance enhancements and policy-based adaptability, our proposed framework guarantee better confidentiality, authenticity, and forward secrecy for next-generation IoT networks.
The rapid expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and the looming risk of quantum computing necessitate a transition from traditional to quantum-resistant cryptographic standards. In this research article, we propose a novel hybrid crypto framework featuring an Adaptive Security Controller (ASC) that dynamically integrates a lightweight symmetric cipher, ChaCha20, with Kyber512 and a post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) scheme Dilithium to secure resource-constrained IoT environments. Unlike existing models that depend either on PQC or lightweight methods, our proposed framework dynamically switches encryption modes based on device constraints, energy availability, and trust levels—delivering a balance among strong security and manageable computational costs. To evaluate our framework, we performed multiple simulations with the Contiki-NG/COOJA platform over several IoT setups. Experimental results show that the proposed approach increase encryption speed by 37% as compared to existing RSA-based methods while keeping energy consumption within 12% of ChaCha20 configurations. In addition, the memory footprint remains under 25 KB RAM and 50 KB ROM, assure compatibility with microcontroller-class devices. By integrating quantum-resistant cryptography with lightweight performance enhancements and policy-based adaptability, our proposed framework guarantee better confidentiality, authenticity, and forward secrecy for next-generation IoT networks.
The emergence of quantum computing threatens classical cryptographic systems, including RSA and ECC, potentially compromising the security of pervasive Internet of Things (IoT) deployments. Resourceconstrained IoT devices—such as sensors, embedded controllers, and microcontrollers—face significant challenges in adopting post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) protocols due to computational, memory, and energy limitations. This paper proposes AQ-PQC, an adaptive lightweight hybrid key exchange protocol combining Kyber lattice-based KEM and lightweight elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), specifically designed for constrained devices. AQ-PQC introduces a dynamic parameter tuning algorithm that adjusts key sizes, handshake rounds, and compression ratios based on real-time device state and network conditions. Formal security analysis under the IND-CCA model demonstrates quantum-resistance and forward secrecy. Extensive hardware implementation on Raspberry Pi 4 and ESP32 devices reveals a significant reduction in handshake latency, energy consumption, and memory footprint compared to conventional PQC protocols. The proposed framework provides a practical, reproducible, and secure methodology for post-quantum IoT communications, supporting heterogeneous and resource-limited networks.
The growing dependence on the Internet of Things (IoT) across different sectors requires stringent security solutions to ensure data confidentiality and integrity. Existing cryptographic solutions are not capable of achieving lightweight performance and resilience against upcoming cyberattacks, especially with the use of quantum computing. This article presents a hybrid cryptographic framework that combines Kyber-512, a post-quantum key encapsulation method, with ASCON, a lightweight authenticated encryption method, to improve IoT security. The proposed method includes key generation, encryption, secure data transmission, decryption with minimal computational load, and the ability to exhibit good security attributes. Performance analysis through extensive experimentation reveals that the proposed framework is efficient in terms of encryption time (43 ms), has minimal memory usage (2.56 KB), and provides optimal CPU usage (21.62%) and power savings (20.76 W), while ensuring high ciphertext entropy (7.90). The experimental results further indicate that the lightweight nature of ASCON allows for rapid encryption and decryption with little effect on system performance. The incorporation of Kyber-512 offers post-quantum security, reducing the threat of quantum-based attacks while being practically usable for devices with resource constraints. The proposed hybrid method meets security and efficiency requirements and is highly appropriate for use in IoT networks and similar embedded systems where computational resources and power savings are important considerations. This research highlights the importance of combining post-quantum cryptography with lightweight ciphers to strengthen the security posture in future-connected systems.
The rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) has introduced unprecedented cybersecurity challenges, as traditional cryptographic methods struggle to provide both efficiency and quantum resistance in resource-constrained environments. This research introduces Adaptive Quantum Cryptography (AQC), a novel security framework that integrates Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNGs), and AI-driven dynamic adaptation to safeguard IoT networks against evolving cyber threats. Unlike classical encryption techniques such as RSA and ECC, which are vulnerable to quantum attacks, AQC leverages quantum mechanical principles—such as superposition, entanglement, and the no-cloning theorem—to ensure provably secure key exchange and data encryption. The proposed AQC system dynamically adjusts cryptographic protocols based on real-time network conditions, computational resources, and threat intelligence, optimizing security without imposing excessive overhead. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that AQC achieves a 70% improvement in key exchange efficiency, a 50% reduction in computational load, and a 95% resilience rate against quantum attacks compared to conventional encryption methods. Additionally, the integration of QRNGs enhances cryptographic key entropy, while AI-driven anomaly detection enables proactive threat mitigation. This framework is particularly suited for next-generation IoT applications, including smart grids, autonomous vehicles, and industrial automation, where security, scalability, and energy efficiency are critical. By combining quantum-resistant algorithms with adaptive security mechanisms, AQC provides forward secrecy, resistance to quantum adversaries, and robust authentication, ensuring long-term protection for IoT ecosystems in the post-quantum era. The findings underscore AQC’s potential as a foundational security architecture for future quantum-safe IoT networks.
The rapid proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices presents critical cybersecurity challenges, as traditional cryptographic methods often fail to provide both robust security and operational efficiency in resource-constrained environments. This paper introduces Adaptive Quantum Cryptography (AQC), a novel framework designed to secure next-generation IoT networks against evolving classical and quantum-computing threats. The AQC framework synergistically integrates Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) for unbreakable key exchange, Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNGs) for high-entropy key generation, and Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) for quantum-resistant data encryption. A key feature of the system is its dynamic adaptation mechanism, which leverages artificial intelligence to intelligently select and adjust cryptographic protocols in real-time based on current network conditions, device computational capabilities, and identified threat levels. This ensures optimal security without imposing excessive overhead on IoT devices. Our comprehensive experimental evaluation demonstrates that the AQC framework significantly outperforms classical techniques, achieving a 70% improvement in key exchange efficiency, a 50% reduction in computational load, and a 95% resilience rate against quantum-based attacks. By providing forward secrecy and robust authentication, the proposed AQC framework offers a scalable, energy-efficient, and future-proof security solution, paving the way for resilient and trustworthy IoT ecosystems in the post-quantum era.
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.
The expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems has created a high demand for secure cryptographic solutions, even in a future with quantum computing capabilities. Traditional mappings, such as RSA or Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), are expected to be broken by Shor's algorithm, driving the realization of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). This work presents a simulative and prototypical framework for assessing PQC integration in IoT communication. With the liboqs library and NS-3 network simulator, along with the Python scripting language, we implement both NIST-standardized algorithms, such as Dilithium (for signatures) and Kyber (for key encapsulation), as well as the classical RSA and ECC baselines. IoT networks of 50-500 virtual nodes are simulated based on IEEE 802.15.4/6LoWPAN with RPL routing. Performance attributes, including encryption/decryption time, key length, packet delivery ratio, latency, and energy consumption, are collected and evaluated. Preliminary results indicate that PQC incurs additional handshake and key overhead, but is relatively practical, with an average overhead of15−25msper processed secure transaction. The effort provides a replicable testbed, showcasing what we consider the best and worst PQC has to offer for resource-constrained IoT. Targeted at master's students and researchers, this book provides an applied approach to investigate quantum-resilient security in IoT. It encourages future expansion to hardware-in-the-loop validation on embedded devices.