The approaching threat of quantum computing to conventional cryptography underscores the urgent need to reassess information security and develop practical quantum-safe primitives. In this paper, we present concrete implementations of Zero-Knowledge Arguments (ZKAs), analogous to but distinct from traditional Σ-protocols. Our implementation, termed the Cryptographic Primitive Argument (CPA), can be realized securely using any post-quantum Key Exchange Mechanism (KEM) and Digital Signature (DS) scheme. We describe two variants: one with dynamic public key encapsulation (CPA-DE) and another that is non-interactive (CPA-NI). We further detail efficient, NIST-standard-compliant CPAs instantiated with ML-KEM and ML-DSA, and provide a comparison with a post-quantum Σ-protocol. The lightweight and modular nature of our CPAs makes them suitable for a wide range of applications, including quantum-secure authentication, blockchain systems, and digital currencies.
The approaching threat of quantum computing to conventional cryptography underscores the urgent need to reassess information security and develop practical quantum-safe primitives. In this paper, we present concrete implementations of Zero-Knowledge Arguments (ZKAs), analogous to but distinct from traditional Σ-protocols. Our implementation, termed the Cryptographic Primitive Argument (CPA), can be realized securely using any post-quantum Key Exchange Mechanism (KEM) and Digital Signature (DS) scheme. We describe two variants: one with dynamic public key encapsulation (CPA-DE) and another that is non-interactive (CPA-NI). We further detail efficient, NIST-standard-compliant CPAs instantiated with ML-KEM and ML-DSA, and provide a comparison with a post-quantum Σ-protocol. The lightweight and modular nature of our CPAs makes them suitable for a wide range of applications, including quantum-secure authentication, blockchain systems, and digital currencies.
Cryptography underpins the security of modern digital infrastructure, from cloud services to health data. However, many widely deployed systems will become vulnerable after the advent of scalable quantum computing. Although quantum-safe cryptographic primitives have been developed, such as lattice-based digital signature algorithms (DSAs) and key encapsulation mechanisms (KEMs), their unique structural and performance characteristics make them unsuitable for existing protocols. In this work, we introduce a quantum-safe single-shot protocol for machine-to-machine authentication and authorization that is specifically designed to leverage the strengths of lattice-based DSAs and KEMs. Operating entirely over insecure channels, this protocol enables the forward-secure establishment of tokens in constrained environments. By demonstrating how new quantum-safe cryptographic primitives can be incorporated into secure systems, this study lays the groundwork for scalable, resilient, and future-proof identity infrastructures in a quantum-enabled world.
Abstract It is viewed as revolutionary technology, offering incredible potential in terms of computing power within different scientific and industrial sectors. Quantum computers provide remarkable computing power; however, they also present significant security risks to existing public-key cryptography systems used to secure digital communication, online banking systems, government, medical applications, cloud computing systems, and IoT systems. Security of commonly used encryption schemes like RSA, DH, and ECC depends on mathematical problems that are impossible for classical computers to solve but can be easily resolved with the help of powerful enough quantum computers by using Shor’s algorithm. Furthermore, Grover’s algorithm makes exhaustive search attacks much faster, thus effectively lowering the security level of symmetric encryption schemes since it provides the speed-up for brute-force attacks. Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) turned out to be an effective and scalable method to protect digital data from attacks using quantum computing. In contrast to quantum cryptography, which requires a special quantum communication channel, PQC uses classical cryptographic algorithms that cannot be broken down by either classical or quantum computer due to certain mathematical problems. This research paper offers an extensive exploration of post-quantum cryptography through the analysis of the development of quantum computing, weaknesses of current cryptographic techniques, and mathematics behind quantum-resistant algorithms. Moreover, this paper explores the major classes of PQC techniques such as lattice-based, code-based, hash-based, multivariate, and isogeny-based cryptography and provides details about their security and application. Moreover, the report gives an overview of the NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography Standardization Project and analyzes recent standardizations of quantum-proof algorithms to be utilized in future digital infrastructures. Keywords: Post-Quantum Encryption, Quantum Security, Quantum-Proof Public-Key Cryptography, Lattice-Based Security Protocols, ML-KEM Key Encapsulation Mechanism, ML-DSA Digital Signature Algorithm, NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography, Contemporary Cybersecurity, Secure Communications, Cryptographic Algorithms.
Information security is a fundamental and urgent issue in the digital transformation era. Cryptographic techniques and digital signatures have been applied to protect and authenticate relevant information. However, with the advent of quantum computers and quantum algorithms, classical cryptographic techniques have been in danger of collapsing because quantum computers can solve complex problems in polynomial time. Stemming from that risk, researchers worldwide have stepped up research on post-quantum algorithms to resist attack by quantum computers. In this review paper, we survey studies in recent years on post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and provide statistics on the number and content of publications, including a literature overview, detailed explanations of the most common methods so far, current implementation status, implementation comparisons, and discussion on future work. These studies focused on essential public cryptography techniques and digital signature schemes, and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) launched a competition to select the best candidate for the expected standard. Recent studies have practically implemented the public key encryption/key encapsulation mechanism (PKE/KEM) and digital signature schemes on different hardware platforms and applied various optimization measures based on other criteria. Along with the increasing number of scientific publications, the recent trend of PQC research is increasingly evident and is the general trend in the cryptography industry. The movement opens up a promising avenue for researchers in public key cryptography and digital signatures, especially on algorithms selected by NIST.
Quantum computing poses an existential threat to classical public-key cryptography, particularly RSA and elliptic-curve systems, which form the backbone of secure communication, authentication, and digital trust. Once scalable quantum computers emerge, algorithms such as Shor’s will be capable of breaking these schemes, jeopardizing confidentiality and integrity across the internet and enterprise systems. Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) offers a viable defense, providing quantum-resistant algorithms that can be implemented on today’s hardware and protocols. Recent standardization milestones—including NIST’s approval of ML-KEM (Kyber) for key establishment, ML-DSA (Dilithium) and SLH-DSA (SPHINCS+) for signatures, and the selection of HQC as a complementary KEM—mark a turning point for practical adoption. This paper surveys the quantum threat model, algorithm families, performance trade-offs, and integration patterns such as hybrid modes and crypto-agile architectures. It further outlines a phased migration roadmap for enterprises, emphasizing harvest-now-decrypt-later risks and compliance imperatives. By bridging technical, operational, and policy perspectives, the study provides actionable guidance to prepare organizations for a secure and quantum-resilient future.
Cryptography has evolved from ancient substitution ciphers to modern mathematical algorithms including Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA), elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), and advanced encryption standard (AES) that form the core of security systems, along with the major information security objectives: confidentiality, integrity, authenticity, availability, accountability, nonrepudiation, and privacy and their practical applications in protocols such as transport layer security (TLS), Internet Protocol Security (IPsec), and Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME). The security of RSA, ECC, and symmetric-key ciphers has been threatened by quantum computers that exploit Shor’s and Grover’s algorithms. In response to this quantum threat, NIST has standardized post-quantum cryptographic PQC) algorithms: ML-KEM, a lattice-based key encapsulation mechanism and ML-DSA, a lattice-based digital signature scheme. This chapter surveys the development of cryptographic systems from transposition ciphers to post-quantum cryptography, examining their mathematical foundations, operational mechanisms, and respective security properties. In addition to these, the PQC algorithms have been implemented in TLS 1.3, and a comparative analysis has been performed. The study traces the history of cryptography while understanding post-quantum standards as the necessary foundation for long-term information security in the quantum era.
The emergence of quantum computing poses a fundamental threat to current public key cryptographic systems. This threat is necessitating a transition to quantum resistant cryptographic alternatives in all the applications. In this work, we present the implementation of a practical hybrid end-to-end encryption system that combines classical and post-quantum cryptographic primitives to achieve both security and efficiency. Our system employs CRYSTALS-Kyber, a NIST-standardized lattice-based key encapsulation mechanism, for quantum-safe key exchange, coupled with AES-256-GCM for efficient authenticated symmetric encryption and SHA-256 for deterministic key derivation. The architecture follows a zero-trust model where a relay server facilitates communication without accessing plaintext messages or cryptographic keys. All encryption and decryption operations occur exclusively at client endpoints. The system demonstrates that NIST standardized post-quantum cryptography can be effectively integrated into practical messaging systems with acceptable performance characteristics, offering protection against both classical and quantum adversaries. As our focus is on implementation rather than on novelty, we also provide an open-source implementation to facilitate reproducibility and further research in post quantum secure communication systems.