With the exciting development and efficient evolution of 6G-oriented optical wireless Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), relevant investigations in each branch domain of medical optical wireless networks have illustrated tremendous application potential. To fill the gap of the essential security level of these optical wireless IoMT technologies in the future 6G era, more and more investigators are aggressively introducing diverse cryptography into the domain of medical and healthcare optical wireless communications and have derived a series of impressive research advancements. To present the current state of the art of cryptography and security in medical optical wireless networks, this article comprehensively reviews and discusses the cryptography-enabled optical wireless IoMT in distinct branch domains, such as secret key techniques-enabled secure optical wireless Internet of Medical Things, quantum key distribution-enabled secure optical wireless Internet of Medical Things, chaos-enabled secure optical wireless Internet of Medical Things and physical-layer security-enabled secure optical wireless Internet of Medical Things. Finally, this article summarises the potential research opportunities and future prospects of the cryptography-enabled secure optical wireless IoMT technology in the coming 6G era.
With the exciting development and efficient evolution of 6G-oriented optical wireless Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), relevant investigations in each branch domain of medical optical wireless networks have illustrated tremendous application potential. To fill the gap of the essential security level of these optical wireless IoMT technologies in the future 6G era, more and more investigators are aggressively introducing diverse cryptography into the domain of medical and healthcare optical wireless communications and have derived a series of impressive research advancements. To present the current state of the art of cryptography and security in medical optical wireless networks, this article comprehensively reviews and discusses the cryptography-enabled optical wireless IoMT in distinct branch domains, such as secret key techniques-enabled secure optical wireless Internet of Medical Things, quantum key distribution-enabled secure optical wireless Internet of Medical Things, chaos-enabled secure optical wireless Internet of Medical Things and physical-layer security-enabled secure optical wireless Internet of Medical Things. Finally, this article summarises the potential research opportunities and future prospects of the cryptography-enabled secure optical wireless IoMT technology in the coming 6G era.
The advent of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and quantum-based privacy-preserving techniques has ushered in a new era for securing communication channels within the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) systems. We examine the fundamentals, uses, and ramifications of quantum cryptography in relation to healthcare data security in this thorough investigation. The journey commences with an in-depth overview of quantum cryptography, unraveling the concepts of superposition, entanglement, and quantum gates that form the bedrock of quantum computing. As we proceed, we investigate the uses of quantum cryptography, highlighting its contribution to resolving the particular issues brought about by the data-intensive and networked character of IoMT systems. The relevance of QKD in ensuring secure communication within IoMT is meticulously dissected, with case studies and experiments demonstrating the practicality and effectiveness of quantum-based privacy-preserving techniques. From telemedicine networks to wearable health devices, each case study offers valuable insights into the application of quantum-safe cryptography, showcasing its ability to fortify data integrity and confidentiality. A meticulous survey of existing research, coupled with an analysis of advancements in quantum cryptography, provides a panoramic view of the current landscape. From hardware limitations to distance constraints, the study navigates through challenges and breakthroughs, offering a roadmap for the future integration of quantum technologies into IoMT systems.Comparing quantum-based approaches with classical cryptography unveils a nuanced landscape of computational complexity, key distribution methodologies, and real-time encryption considerations. This comparative analysis serves as a guide for healthcare practitioners and technologists in making informed decisions regarding the adoption of quantum-based privacy-preserving techniques in IoMT environments. The case studies and experiments collectively paint a picture of the practicality and promise of quantum-based privacy-preserving techniques in IoMT scenarios. Anticipating future advancements, the exploration extends into quantum hardware improvements, standardization efforts, and the integration of quantum technologies with emerging trends like edge computing and blockchain. As the healthcare industry stands on the cusp of a quantum revolution, the comprehensive insights provided herein offer a foundation for understanding, implementing, and shaping the future of secure healthcare communication through the lens of quantum cryptography.
The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has become a core component of modern healthcare infrastructures, enabling continuous patient monitoring, remote diagnostics, and data-driven clinical decision-making. Despite these advances, authentication in IoMT environments remains a critical security challenge, intensified by strict resource constraints of medical devices and the emerging threat posed by quantum computing to classical cryptographic techniques. This systematic review investigates authentication mechanisms in IoMT from both post-quantum and system-level perspectives. A structured literature review was conducted using a PRISMA-informed methodology across major scientific databases, including IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, and MDPI. From an initial set of 95 records, 63 studies were selected for qualitative synthesis following screening and eligibility assessment. To organise existing research, this study introduces a multi-dimensional classification framework that categorises authentication solutions according to cryptographic paradigm (classical, hybrid, and post-quantum), deployment architecture, system objectives, and clinical operational constraints. The comparative synthesis demonstrates important trade-offs between security strength, latency, computational overhead, and energy consumption that are frequently underexplored in the existing literature. Furthermore, the analysis identifies key research gaps related to scalability in heterogeneous medical environments, trust establishment across administrative and clinical domains, usability under strict timing constraints, and resilience against quantum-capable adversaries. Based on these findings, future research directions are outlined toward adaptive, lightweight, and context-aware post-quantum authentication frameworks designed for real-world IoMT deployments. Limitations of this review include restriction to English-language publications and selected databases. This study received no external funding, and the review protocol was not formally registered.
The rapid convergence of sixth-generation (6G) networks and the Internet of Things (IoT) offers enormous potential for ultra-reliable, low-latency, and massive device connectivity. However, this integration also raises security and privacy concerns, particularly in light of new threats from quantum computing that could undermine traditional cryptography. The architecture of quantum-safe IoT networks that can withstand post-quantum security threats is thoroughly discussed in this review. It addresses the challenges related to how to use blockchain technology to provide decentralized trust as well as secure transactions, how to use post-quantum cryptographic algorithms to protect data confidentiality, and the best way to use a trust management architecture to improve identity verification, authorization, and authentication in the diverse IoT environment. The paper then examines scalability considerations, resource constraints, and interoperability problems that impact safe IoT deployments in the 6G era. This work serves as a roadmap for researchers and practitioners who aim to create robust and future IoT infrastructure and then maintain their security in a post-quantum world by integrating recent research patterns, solution development, and considerations related to real-world implementation.
The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is a compelling networking paradigm integrating wireless communications sensors, connected devices, and embedded computing technologies. The IoMT involves the collection of real-time health data using sophisticated medical sensors. In recent years, the IoMT has become increasingly significant within the broader context of the Internet of Things (IoT). It provides accessibility for health monitoring and poses security obstacles to safeguarding the confidentiality and privacy of patient data. Therefore, this article presents a blockchain-integrated quantum authentication scheme in sensor-assisted IoMT networks. The proposed concept utilizes blockchain technology to achieve efficient patient authentication without the need for third-party entities. In addition, a secure quantum authentication scheme is designed not to require patients to authenticate themselves when communicating with multiple doctors simultaneously. This protocol explicitly addresses how clinicians can misuse their professional roles toward patients in IoMT networks. An evaluation analysis assesses the proposed technique’s efficacy compared to existing authentication schemes. The performance analyses demonstrate that the proposed protocol is resilient against various security attacks. Also, the practical usability of the quantum authentication scheme proved its importance as a significant improvement in communication security for IoMT networks.
The emergence and advancement of technologies such as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), Electronic Health Records (EHR), and Smart Medical Gate (SMG) have remarkably changed patient care practices. With the digitization of healthcare services, concerns regarding data security have increased. These systems face increasing risks due to cyber threats and the advances of quantum computing technology. For instance, Peter Shor’s quantum algorithms are predicted to affect the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive medical data. This puts classical (non-quantum) cryptographic systems such as RSA (Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman) and ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) at risk. This work proposes an integrated high-dimensional quantum key distribution (HD-QKD) infrastructure for secure medical data transmission across IoMT, EHR, and SMG ecosystems. It introduces a cloud-based Central EHR/Cloud Server for key management, along with edge Quantum Security Gateways. The system employs qudit encoding (d > 2) over a 50 km optical fiber link with 12-dB attenuation. Its edge-centric design ensures noise resilience and delivers a high information rate per photon. It also provides low-latency security against quantum threats while maintaining compatibility with existing fiber networks through wavelength division multiplexing. Simulations validate the system's potential, achieving secure key rates of 2.5 megabits per second between medical structures-double the rate of prior qubit-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocols-demonstrating superior scalability and performance for real-time healthcare applications.
As we move toward the rollout of 6G networks, we're stepping into an era of groundbreaking technological advancements. These next-generation networks promise ultra-low latency and seamless integration with artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), unlocking a new level of connectivity and performance. However, with these powerful capabilities come significant security challenges. Traditional encryption methods may not be enough to protect the complex and highly sensitive data traveling through 6G networks. One of the most promising solutions lies in Quantum Communication, particularly Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)-a method that leverages the laws of quantum mechanics to enable highly secure encryption. This paper explores the emerging security risks in both terrestrial and satellite communication channels and reviews current research on integrating quantum communication into 6G infrastructure. Special attention is given to its potential within the metaverse, a rapidly evolving digital environment that demands robust and future-proof security frameworks. Key areas of focus include-Addressing security vulnerabilities in quantum communication, Enhancing infrastructure to support quantum technologies, Reducing error rates in quantum protocols. the paper aims to propose a flexible, forward-looking framework designed to ensure fast, secure communication for critical sectors such as finance, defense, and healthcare.