A Comparative Study of Post-Quantum Cryptographic Algorithm Implementations for Secure and Efficient Energy Systems Monitoring

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) has assumed a pivotal role in the advancement of communication technology and in our daily lives. However, an IoT system such as a smart grid with poorly designed topology and weak security protocols might be vulnerable to cybercrimes. Exploits may arise from sensor data interception en route to the intended consumer within an IoT system. The increasing integration of electronic devices interconnected via the internet has galvanized the acceptance of this technology. Nonetheless, as the number of users of this technology surges, there must be an aligned concern to ensure that security measures are diligently enforced within IoT communication systems, such as in smart homes, smart cities, smart factories, smart hospitals, and smart grids. This research addresses security lacunae in the topology and configuration of IoT energy monitoring systems using post-quantum cryptographic techniques. We propose tailored implementations of the Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA), N-th degree Truncated Polynomial Ring Units (NTRU), and a suite of cryptographic primitives based on Module Learning With Rounding (Saber) as post-quantum cryptographic candidate algorithms for IoT devices. These aim to secure publisher–subscriber end-to-end communication in energy system monitoring. Additionally, we offer a comparative analysis of these tailored implementations on low-resource devices, such as the Raspberry Pi, during data transmission using the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol. Results indicate that the customized implementation of NTRU outperforms both SABER and RSA in terms of CPU and memory usage, while Light SABER emerges as the front-runner when considering encryption and decryption delays.