Lightweight and Efficient Post Quantum Key Encapsulation Mechanism Based on Q-Problem

Kara, M, Karampidis, K ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1643-8018, Panagiotakis, S ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8091-6462, Hammoudeh, M ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1058-0996, Felemban, M ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6414-3391 and Papadourakis, G ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9090-9354 (2025) Lightweight and Efficient Post Quantum Key Encapsulation Mechanism Based on Q-Problem. Electronics, 14 (4). 728.

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Abstract

The Q-problem is a new lightweight and hard mathematical problem that resists quantum attacks. It depends on putting one known value and two unknown values per equation; whatever the operator, the Q-problem defines certain conditions between equations. This paper presents a new key exchange protocol based on the Q-problem. To protect secure end-to-end communication over a public transmission channel, the proposed mechanism consists of two rounds of exchanging totally random numbers, which ensure a shared secret key between two parties at the end. Security analysis proves the robustness of the proposal and experiments prove its lightness during implementation, making it a promising protocol of hybrid solutions and an assistive technique for the transition to the quantum era.