Quantum-Enhanced Elliptic Curve Cryptography Implementations for IoT: A Comparative Analysis

The rapid advancements in quantum computation pose significant threats to traditional cryptographic systems, such as those used in the Internet of Things (IoT). RSA and methods like Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) are particularly vulnerable to quantum algorithmic techniques, such as Shor’s and Grover’s algorithms. This paper focuses on the analysis of cryptographic models based on quantum technologies, with special emphasis on IoT security. It examines how both symmetric and public-key cryptography are affected by quantum comput-ing—highlighting vulnerabilities in symmetric schemes to Grover’s algorithm and in public-key systems like ECC to Shor’s algorithm. Significant focus is placed on the advancement of quantum-resistant ECC, with an in-depth evaluation of its effectiveness, security capabilities, and suitability for IoT applications. This work also compares various methods for implementing quantum-enhanced ECC, considering both software and hardware solutions. Furthermore, the paper explores emerging hybrid systems that integrate classical and quantum-resistant encryption to offer enhanced security in transitional scenarios. Lastly, it outlines potential research avenues for developing new techniques to protect future IoT networks from quantum-based attacks.