UAVs are increasingly deployed in mission-critical IoT applications (e.g., surveillance, disaster response, environ-mental monitoring) to securely relay sensitive data to cloud infrastructures for storage and analysis, but conventional end-to-end encryption is often too costly for resource-constrained UAVs and may not withstand emerging quantum-capable threats. We propose a quantum-resistant proxy re-encryption (QR-PRE) scheme for UAV-to-cloud communication, where mission data are encrypted with a lightweight symmetric key and then safely re-encrypted by intermediate gateways via proxy cryptography without exposing plaintext. For long-term confidentiality, the framework uses lattice-based post-quantum primitives (Ky-ber512/768) to generate proxy keys and perform re-encryption, providing strong protection against quantum attacks, alongside energy-aware gateway scheduling to reduce swarm overhead while supporting forward secrecy and scalability. Tests on a heterogeneous UAV–gateway–cloud setup show 99.87
UAVs are increasingly deployed in mission-critical IoT applications (e.g., surveillance, disaster response, environ-mental monitoring) to securely relay sensitive data to cloud infrastructures for storage and analysis, but conventional end-to-end encryption is often too costly for resource-constrained UAVs and may not withstand emerging quantum-capable threats. We propose a quantum-resistant proxy re-encryption (QR-PRE) scheme for UAV-to-cloud communication, where mission data are encrypted with a lightweight symmetric key and then safely re-encrypted by intermediate gateways via proxy cryptography without exposing plaintext. For long-term confidentiality, the framework uses lattice-based post-quantum primitives (Ky-ber512/768) to generate proxy keys and perform re-encryption, providing strong protection against quantum attacks, alongside energy-aware gateway scheduling to reduce swarm overhead while supporting forward secrecy and scalability. Tests on a heterogeneous UAV–gateway–cloud setup show 99.87
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly integrated into Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems for applications such as surveillance, disaster response, environmental monitoring, and logistics. These missions demand reliable and secure communication between UAVs and cloud platforms for command, control, and data storage. However, UAV communication channels are highly vulnerable to eavesdropping, spoofing, and man-in-the-middle attacks due to their wireless and often long-range nature. Traditional cryptographic schemes either impose excessive computational overhead on resource-constrained UAVs or lack sufficient robustness for cloud-level security. To address this challenge, we propose a dual-layer encryption architecture that balances lightweight efficiency with strong cryptographic guarantees. Unlike prior dual-layer approaches, the proposed framework introduces a context-aware adaptive lightweight layer for UAV-to-gateway communication and a hybrid post-quantum layer for gateway-to-cloud security, enabling dynamic cipher selection, energy-aware key scheduling, and quantum-resilient key establishment. In the first layer, UAV-to-gateway communication employs a lightweight symmetric encryption scheme optimized for low latency and minimal energy consumption. In the second layer, gateway-to-cloud communication uses post-quantum asymmetric encryption to ensure resilience against emerging quantum threats. The architecture is further reinforced with optional multi-path hardening and blockchain-assisted key lifecycle management to enhance scalability and tamper-proof auditability. Experimental evaluation using a UAV testbed and cloud integration shows that the proposed framework achieves 99.85% confidentiality preservation, reduces computational overhead on UAVs by 42%, and improves end-to-end latency by 35% compared to conventional single-layer encryption schemes. These results confirm that the proposed adaptive and hybridized dual-layer design provides a scalable, secure, and resource-aware solution for UAV-to-cloud communication, offering both present-day practicality and future-proof cryptographic resilience.
As quantum computing evolves from theoretical promise to emerging reality, the urgency to develop quantum-resilient data protection mechanisms becomes increasingly paramount-particularly within critical infrastructure systems dependent on multi-cloud architectures.This study explores the design and deployment of quantum-resilient encryption protocols tailored to secure sensitive data flows across heterogeneous and decentralized cloud environments supporting energy, transportation, defense, and healthcare infrastructures.Beginning from a broader analysis of cryptographic vulnerabilities posed by quantum adversaries-especially those exploiting Shor's and Grover's algorithms-the paper highlights the limitations of current asymmetric key systems and symmetric encryption practices in multi-cloud data orchestration.Building on this foundation, the research narrows in on post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) frameworks, including lattice-based, code-based, and multivariate polynomial schemes, evaluating their performance and adaptability for dynamic cloud-native systems.A key focus is placed on designing lightweight, interoperable encryption protocols that can seamlessly integrate with federated identity management, zero-trust security models, and real-time data streams without introducing prohibitive latency or computational burden.The study also presents an architectural model that allows for real-time key negotiation, distributed trust management, and algorithm agility, ensuring compliance with both current and forward-looking regulatory standards (e.g., NIST PQC guidelines).Simulation and benchmarking conducted across hybrid cloud environments demonstrate that carefully optimized quantum-resilient protocols can be implemented without compromising system availability or scalability.The results validate the feasibility of transitioning from conventional cryptography to quantum-safe models in mission-critical multi-cloud operations.The paper concludes by offering a strategic roadmap for organizations seeking to future-proof their cloud infrastructures against quantum-era threats.
The recent expansion of the Internet of things (IoT) and its applications continues to dramatically change the IT services supporting manufacturing, energy management, intelligent transportation, smart cities, etc. These IT services often interconnect Internet-based Cloud systems with IoT or intelligent smart devices held by organisations. As IoT devices are resource-limited, the security of their communication is provided by lightweight cryptography that could consequently lead to the devices being insecure against a quantum adversary. On the other hand, Internet Cloud systems are resource-rich and could easily support post-quantum cryptography. This paper presents a proxy re-encryption scheme that translates ciphertexts of a classical lightweight encryption algorithm into their post quantum equivalent and vice versa. More precisely, we propose a lattice-based ABE-IBE (L ABE-IBE) proxy re-encryption scheme that transforms a classical lightweight ciphertext into a lattice based ciphertext. We compare our proposed L ABE-IBE proxy re-encryption scheme with classical proxy re-encryption (ABEIBE) schemes. We discuss the security and efficiency of our construction.
As the digital landscape evolves, the reliance on cloud computing for critical infrastructure across various sectors highlights the need for robust security mechanisms to protect sensitive data from emerging cyber threats, particularly those posed by quantum computing. Traditional cryptographic systems, while currently effective, are vulnerable to quantum attacks, necessitating the development of quantum-resistant solutions. This research introduces the Quantum-Resilient Cryptographic Framework (QRCF), a hybrid, adaptive cryptographic framework designed to safeguard cloud environments against both classical and quantum threats. The QRCF integrates lattice-based Kyber and code-based McEliece algorithms, offering a comprehensive and scalable solution for secure data storage, management, and transmission. Key contributions include the development of a dynamic security management layer that adapts to real-time threat analysis, ensuring continuous protection against evolving threats, and the implementation of robust post-quantum cryptographic methods that maintain high performance and low computational overhead. Quantitative analysis shows that the QRCF maintains a high throughput of 420 MB/s for encryption and 400 MB/s for decryption under normal operations, with latency as low as 3.2 ms and 3.6 ms, respectively. The framework exhibited strong resistance to various attack models, with success rates of 1.0% for brute-force attacks, 1.875% for MITM attacks, 0.833% for side-channel attacks, and 1.6% for replay attacks. Against quantum threats, the QRCF showed no vulnerability to Shor’s Algorithm and a minimal success rate of 0.667% for Grover’s Algorithm. The framework’s design ensures seamless integration with existing cloud infrastructures, providing practical migration strategies to quantum-safe cryptography without disrupting operational workflows. By addressing key research gaps in quantum-safe cloud security, this study contributes significantly to the field, offering a robust, scalable, and efficient cryptographic solution that enhances the security and operational performance of cloud environments in the face of advancing quantum computational capabilities.
The recent expansion of the Internet of things (IoT) and its applications continues to dramatically change the IT services supporting manufacturing, energy management, intelligent transportation, smart cities, etc. These IT services often interconnect Internet-based Cloud systems with IoT or intelligent smart devices held by organisations. As IoT devices are resource-limited, the security of their communication is provided by lightweight cryptography that could consequently lead to the devices being insecure against a quantum adversary. On the other hand, Internet Cloud systems are resource-rich and could easily support post-quantum cryptography. This paper presents a proxy re-encryption scheme that translates ciphertexts of a classical lightweight encryption algorithm into their post quantum equivalent and vice versa. More precisely, we propose a lattice-based ABE-IBE (L ABE-IBE) proxy re-encryption scheme that transforms a classical lightweight ciphertext into a lattice based ciphertext. We compare our proposed L ABE-IBE proxy re-encryption scheme with classical proxy re-encryption (ABEIBE) schemes. We discuss the security and efficiency of our construction.
As quantum computing advances, conventional encryption techniques such as RSA, ECC, and even advanced symmetric encryption face increasing risks of cryptanalytic breakthroughs.Cloud storage systems, which host massive volumes of sensitive and distributed data, are especially vulnerable to quantum-based attacks.This paper extends the DynSecCloud framework previously developed with dynamic fragmentation, multi-layer chain encryption, and location-based key management into a post-quantum secure architecture.The proposed post-Quantum DynSecCloud integrates lattice-based, hash-based, and multivariate post-quantum cryptographic primitives to ensure long-term resilience against emerging quantum threats.We analyze the performance trade-offs between quantum-resistant algorithms and traditional RNG-driven chain encryption, focusing on storage overhead, Latency, and throughput in distributed cloud environments.Experimental evaluations demonstrate that although post-quantum cryptography introduces moderate computational overhead, the hybridisation of PQC with dynamic fragmentation minimises the performance impact while significantly enhancing resistance to quantum cryptanalytic models.The findings establish post-Quantum DynSecCloud as a scalable, quantum-resilient cloud security model, offering strong future-proof protection for sensitive data in distributed cloud ecosystems.