Quantum-Proof Anonymous Key Exchange With Perfect Forward Secrecy for Mobile Devices

Recent advances in quantum computing threaten key exchange protocols based on problems like prime factorization and discrete logarithms. In response, NIST is standardizing post-quantum cryptographic methods, selecting CRYSTALS-Kyber for its efficiency. However, Kyber’s key exchange protocol assumes prior authenticated communication and requires significant computational overhead. To address these limitations, we propose a NIST-compliant, quantum-resistant, password-authenticated key exchange protocol for mobile devices. Built on Kyber’s encryption primitives, it achieves mutual authentication and perfect forward secrecy. Compared to Kyber’s original protocol, ours reduces communication and computation costs by 46% and 67%, respectively. It also ensures strong anonymity and resists common attacks. Formal proofs and hardware implementation confirm its security and efficiency.