Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
Post-quantum cryptography
Non-Terrestrial Networks
Bandwidth-constrained
Power-constrained devices
Certificate overhead
Practical Post-Quantum Cryptography for Bandwidth Constrained or Non-Terrestrial Networks, and Power Constrained Devices
🤖 AI Summary
This work addresses the challenges of post-quantum authentication in non-terrestrial networks and resource-constrained devices, where large certificate sizes and high computational overhead impose prohibitive demands on bandwidth, memory, energy consumption, and latency. To overcome these limitations, the paper proposes a lightweight post-quantum authentication framework that abandons traditional certificate-based asymmetric key distribution. Instead, it integrates a Key Distribution Center (KDC), pre-shared key handshakes (e.g., DTLS-PSK), ephemeral post-quantum key encapsulation (ML-KEM), and post-quantum AEAD encryption. This approach achieves, for the first time in constrained environments, an authentication mechanism offering forward secrecy, replay attack resistance, and high security levels, while significantly reducing handshake bandwidth, memory footprint, computational cost, and energy usage—making it suitable for applications such as satellite key rotation, drone control, and implantable medical devices.
📝 Abstract
Post-quantum (PQ) cryptographic algorithms, particularly for authentication, are more complex than classical algorithms and require larger certificates, signatures, and keys. Establishing a PQ-secure network connection increases bandwidth, memory, computation time, and energy consumption. These costs are especially severe in Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs), where long propagation delays, intermittent connectivity, constrained link budgets, satellite handovers, limited terminal resources, and bandwidth-constrained satellite-to-ground links amplify the overhead of certificate-based PQ authentication. Consequently, applications such as key rotation and key management may be unable to achieve acceptable handshake reliability or support NIST PQ Security Categories above Category 1. Similar limitations affect low-power IoT devices and bandwidth- or energy-constrained terrestrial networks, where PQ authentication may restrict devices to Category 1 security or prevent ambient-powered endpoints from supporting PQ authentication altogether.
This paper investigates an alternative cryptographic framework that replaces PQ digital certificates with shared secret keys (SSKs). The framework leverages shared-secret ecosystems that do not rely on asymmetric key distribution, such as 5G/6G, and combines a Key Distribution Center (KDC) (e.g., Kerberos) with a preshared-key PQ handshake (e.g., DTLS-PSK) and ephemeral PQ key establishment (e.g., ML-KEM). Compared with certificate-based PQ authentication (e.g., ML-DSA), the proposed approach reduces handshake bandwidth, endpoint RAM, computation time, and energy use while preserving PQ-secure AEAD, including forward secrecy and replay resistance. Applications include NTN-based key rotation and management, uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) command-and-control systems, embedded medical sensors, and supply-chain monitoring and asset-tracking platforms.
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
Post-Quantum Cryptography
Shared Secret Keys
Non-Terrestrial Networks
Key Distribution Center
Bandwidth-Constrained Devices
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