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Quantum cryptography

Quantum Computers Threaten Security of Public-Key Cryptosystems: New Research

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Researchers at the University of Basrah, Iraq, have issued a warning about the potential security threats posed by quantum computers to public-key cryptosystems, such as RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). These systems are commonly used for secure data transmission and storage in various applications, including the Internet-of-Healthcare Things (IoHT). The researchers have designed a post-quantum resistance scheme to address these concerns, which involves the use of blockchain, InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and Symmetric Searchable Encryption (SSE). The proposed scheme has been formally verified using the Scyther tool and Burrows-Abadi-Needham (BAN) logic, and has been shown to reduce computation overhead by 90% while maintaining low communication cost and latency.

Key Takeaways:

  • Quantum computers can efficiently solve factorization and discrete logarithm problems, compromising the security of RSA and ECC.
  • The Internet-of-Healthcare Things (IoHT) is particularly vulnerable to these security threats, as it relies heavily on secure data transmission and storage.
  • The researchers have designed a post-quantum resistance scheme to address this concern, which involves the use of blockchain, IPFS, RBAC, and SSE.
  • The proposed scheme has been formally verified using the Scyther tool and BAN logic, and has been shown to reduce computation overhead by 90% while maintaining low communication cost and latency.
  • The scheme is designed to ensure secure, effective access control, confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity in IoHT environments.
  • The results of the research have been published in the MethodsX journal under the title "Provably lightweight and secure IoHT scheme with post-quantum cryptography and fog computing: A comprehensive scheme for healthcare system".
  • Additional information about the research can be obtained by contacting Ali A. Yassin,Dept. of Computer Science, College of Education for Pure Sciences, University of Basrah, Basrah 61004, Iraq.

Statistics:

  • 90% reduction in computation overhead achieved by the proposed scheme.
  • Low communication cost and latency maintained by the proposed scheme.
  • Greatly increased throughput achieved by the proposed scheme.
  • Very low energy consumption observed in the proposed scheme.
  • The proposed scheme is designed to withstand well-known threats such as phishing, quantum, and 51% attacks.

Sources:

  • Provably lightweight and secure IoHT scheme with post-quantum cryptography and fog computing: A comprehensive scheme for healthcare system. MethodsX, 2025;15:103631.
  • NewsRx. New Physics Data Have Been Reported by Researchers at University of Basrah (Provably lightweight and secure IoHT scheme with post-quantum cryptography and fog computing: A comprehensive scheme for healthcare system). Journal of Engineering. October 20, 2025; p 2171.

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