Post-Quantum Security in Cyber-Physical Systems

Quantum computing is capable of breaking currently used cryptography schemes. In order to secure digital communication against attacks with quantum computers, the underlying cryptography schemes need to change, aiming for protection to such quantum attacks. Changes towards post-quantum secure alternatives come with trade-offs, which collide with restrictions in cyber-physical systems. This paper takes a look at state-of-the-art approaches implementing these post-quantum secure schemes in restricting environments while working around the restrictions.

By categorizing the solutions into their underlying techniques, a trend towards key size and handshake reductions, as well as algorithmic speedups becomes apparent. The solutions promise opportunities to make the algorithms applicable in practice, by addressing different restrictions found in cyber-physical systems. Even tough multiple propositions exist, many are not comparable due to missing comparable metrics, creating a lack of consensus in this research field. Furthermore, current research does not take practical considerations into account, only approaching the research problem from a theoretical standpoint, which is not always appropriate.

Here, you can learn more about this project: Seminar Paper