The present paper presents QUBE-Crypto, a new authentication system providing an integration of three fundamental security mechanisms: Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), and blockchain. The mechanism was implemented for Internet of Things (IoT) and for this purpose, outstanding performance results were obtained. The testing on ESP32 microcontrollers is fully authenticated in 3.5 seconds us- ing only 45 mJ energy. The framework is Dilithium-5—an NIST-standardized post-quantum signature algorithm which offers 128-bits security. The blockchain offers distributed verification of identities without centralized trust with consensus latency of 8.2 seconds. While post-quantum and quantum defenses are integrated, the re- sults show that QUBE-Crypto achieves comparable performance to traditional systems while ensuring security through quantum-resistant methods that integrate identity management on a blockchain. The whole framework is suitable for resource-limited applications such as smart home sensors, industrial IoT, and medical instruments. This research offers empirical demonstration of quantum-safe authentication on embedded devices and provides a prototype for the post-quantum IoT security era.
The present paper presents QUBE-Crypto, a new authentication system providing an integration of three fundamental security mechanisms: Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), and blockchain. The mechanism was implemented for Internet of Things (IoT) and for this purpose, outstanding performance results were obtained. The testing on ESP32 microcontrollers is fully authenticated in 3.5 seconds us- ing only 45 mJ energy. The framework is Dilithium-5—an NIST-standardized post-quantum signature algorithm which offers 128-bits security. The blockchain offers distributed verification of identities without centralized trust with consensus latency of 8.2 seconds. While post-quantum and quantum defenses are integrated, the re- sults show that QUBE-Crypto achieves comparable performance to traditional systems while ensuring security through quantum-resistant methods that integrate identity management on a blockchain. The whole framework is suitable for resource-limited applications such as smart home sensors, industrial IoT, and medical instruments. This research offers empirical demonstration of quantum-safe authentication on embedded devices and provides a prototype for the post-quantum IoT security era.
The advent of quantum computing poses a threat to the bases of classical cryptographies and thus the RSA and ECC are susceptible to attacks at the time of a poly with Shors algorithm. The present paper proposes QUBE-Crypto (Quantum Unbreakable Blockchain-Enhanced Cryptography) which is a new multi-layered protocol that facilitates a synergistic combination of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) that can provide information-theoretic key protection, Post-Quantum Digital Signatures (Dilithium-5, SQIsignHD) that offer computational authentication resilience, blockchain-based immutable identity anchoring and Pseudorandom Quantum State (PRS) challenges that can provide unforgeable verification. Unlike existing approaches that address quantum threats in isolation, QUBE-Crypto provides end-to-end quantum-safe communication by combining provably secure key exchange, quantum-resistant signatures, decentralized trust, and clone-proof authentication. The protocol is formally specified through a five-phase algorithm encompassing initialization, QKD-based session key establishment, PRS-based challengeresponse authentication, blockchain-anchored verification, and encrypted message exchange. Applications span IoT security, smart cities, digital voting, and decentralized identity systems requiring resilience against both classical and quantum adversaries.
Quantum computing poses threats to existing cryptographic protocols like RSA and ECC. We propose QUBE-Crypto, a hybrid framework integrating Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Post-Quantum Digital Signatures, Blockchain storage, and Pseudorandom Quantum States (PRSs). This architecture provides zero-trust authentication with provable security against classical and quantum attacks. Complexity analysis shows O(nlogn) authentication overhead with 150-260ms latency, suitable for IoT (ESP32), 5G/6G networks, and government deployments. Our system combines blockchain-secured identity registration with BB84 QKD, PRS-based challenges, and postquantum signatures (Dilithium-5, SQIsignHD), optimized for resource-constrained devices.
In the contemporary era, the global proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices exceeds 15 billion, serving functions from wearables to smart grid monitoring. These devices frequently manage sensitive data, underscoring the need for secure and reliable IoT networks leveraging blockchain technology. A key innovation of this study is an approach to mitigate vulnerabilities that quantum computing poses to blockchain-based IoT systems, which existing cryptographic methods cannot effectively address. Quantum computers could exploit these weaknesses to compromise key-pair generation and extract private keys from transaction signatures. To overcome this, the research introduces an optimized implementation of the post-quantum digital signature algorithm Dilithium-5, ensuring blockchain security and quantum readiness. These transaction signatures are designed for low-power, cost-effective microcontrollers, such as the ESP32, making the solution accessible for a wide range of IoT devices. In addition, the study includes a case study involving a post-quantum safe portable device for measuring blood oxygen levels and heart rate, illustrating the practical benefits and effectiveness of the proposed solution in enhancing IoT security against quantum threats. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach ensures quantum-resistant security while maintaining performance efficiency, making it suitable for real-world IoT applications.
When quantum computers become practical the traditional cryptographic systems will need replacement because they cannot protect against quantum attacks. We present QUBE-Crypto as our innovative hybrid cryptographic solution made of multiple protection methods which blend Quantum Key Distribution with post-quantum digital signatures and blockchain technology plus pseudorandom quantum state security challenges. QUBE-Crypto offers QUBE-AUTH as a protocol to secure quantum identity verification and communication processes. The system verifies authentications unbreakably through quantum behaviors and protects communication with Dilithium-5 digital signatures plus blockchain time stamps. QUBE-Crypto offers simple hardware setups and matches the 5 G and 6 G networks which makes it workable across different internet-of-things devices plus lets users send private messages safely and set up digital services without a central authority.
The rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) has connected billions of devices, creating a global network that manages everything from smart homes to critical industrial infrastructure. However, this connectivity faces an existential threat: the rise of Quantum Computing. Standard encryption methods like RSA and ECC, which currently protect these devices, will be easily broken by future quantum computers using Shor's Algorithm. While the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has standardized new "Post-Quantum" algorithms (like Kyber and Dilithium), simply plugging them into small IoT devices is not easy. These new algorithms are often heavy, and IoT devices have very limited battery and processing power. This paper bridges this gap by proposing "PQ-IoT", a complete, end-to-end security framework designed specifically for the real-world constraints of IoT. Unlike previous studies that look at algorithms in isolation, we designed a unified system with three layers: (1) A robust Hybrid Cryptosystem (X25519 + Kyber-768) for secure servers, (2) A lightweight encryption module (Kyber-512) for battery-powered sensors, and (3) A fast authentication mechanism (ML-DSA-44) for gateways. We built a virtual laboratory using ARM64 emulation to test this framework. Our results show that the entire system is incredibly efficient, with encryption taking only 0.20 ms and verification taking 0.50 ms. This proves that we can secure the future of IoT without sacrificing performance.
The rapid expansion and inherent resource limitations of Internet of Things (IoT) devices necessitate robust, future-proof security solutions, particularly against sophisticated data integrity threats and the imminent risk of quantum computing attacks. This paper provides a systematic literature review (SLR) of the architectural integration of blockchain with quantum technologies (quantum key distribution (QKD) and post-quantum cryptography (PQC)) for a two-stage trust model in IoT communication. This review summarizes existing methods and answers three key research questions. The results show that permissioned blockchains are primarily used for trust management to ensure the non-repudiation and immutability of data. Notably, there is a clear dividing line in the application of quantum solutions: QKD is particularly suitable for securing high-capacity backbone communications (server gateways), whereas PQC (especially lattice-based algorithms such as Kyber and Dilithium) is the mainstream resource-efficient solution for IoT terminals. However, this integration also has significant drawbacks, such as high latency due to blockchain consensus mechanisms and increased memory and CPU requirements from PQC implementations. The main challenge is the lack of standardized protocols for integrating QKD key management with smart contract functionality. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of current architectures, assesses their performance trade-offs, and outlines a clear research agenda aimed at developing standardized hybrid protocols for future trusted IoT systems and optimizing resource-efficient, quantum-resistant consensus mechanisms.