Post-quantum cloud security and data exchange using artificial intelligence.
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Date
2023
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Abstract
This thesis investigates the application of plausible modern-day cryptographic solutions
for securing the cloud and exchanging confidential data. The context followed is such
that the strength of an encryption algorithm is based on the difficulty to cryptanalyse it.
This means the more difficult the crypto-system is to cryptanalyse, the stronger and more
trusted it is. The success of cryptanalysis on a cryptographic algorithm has been a function
of the computational power available at the time of performing the cryptanalysis, without
consideration of future innovations, specifically, without careful consideration of Moore’s
law. A significant number of public-key crypto-systems can and will be compromised
by a quantum computer coupled with the implementation of Shor’s algorithm. This
has brought a lot of focus regarding research on cryptographic solutions post quantum
computing (PQC) due to the following:
cryptographic algorithms are based on the intractability of prime number factorisation
using a conventional computing power;
a quantum computer can factorize prime numbers with relative ease.
In the past, the quantum computing paradigm was a hypothetical concept. Thus,
cryptanalysis using quantum resources was a theoretical idea. This is no longer the case
with the loom of quantum computers eminent. Consequently, prime number based encryption
is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Low Qubit quantum computers now exist. Research
and development in this area is growing. Hence the existence of the post-quantum
cryptography paradigm. This paradigm is based on encryption algorithms developed and
considered secure enough to withstand quantum attacks. Thus, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology made a call for projects clustered under the Open Quantum
Safe project (OQSP), which began in 2016. The ultimate goal of this project is development
of future quantum resistant cryptographic algorithms for secure communication and
data exchange. The OQSP aims to gather open source libraries which can be standalone
or integrated into the public key encryption schemes to improve their security against
quantum attacks in the quest to achieve quantum resistance. The major focus is placed
on quantum key exchange (QKE). It is against this background that the material presented
in this thesis reports on a spectrum of algorithms that are thought to be quantum
resistant based on a coherence of ideas, methods, models and software implementation,
trying to meet the NIST requirements and contributing to new knowledge in the field
of cryptography. The aim is to provide confidentiality guarantees on cloud-hosted data
as well as secure data exchange between communicating entities, while also tackling the
cumbersome key exchange and management problem. The results show that the algorithms
presented in this thesis introduce new ideas in cryptography and can be tested to
withstand cryptanalytic quantum attacks, while a plausible encryption key distribution
and management solution is proposed.
In this context, the material presented in this thesis report on a spectrum of algorithms
that are proposed to be quantum resistant based on a coherence of ideas, methods and
software implementation, aimed at providing security of cloud-hosted data as well as data
exchange between communicating entities. The cloud has a flexible, scalable and low cost
properties. This is due to two concepts which are fundamental to cloud computing:
virtualization;
multi-occupancy.
These above concepts have brought infinitely many benefits which make the cloud an
attractive paradigm. Among the benefits are reduced capital and maintenance costs, high
processing power, enormous storage facilities etc. However, security concerns affecting
confidentiality of cloud-hosted data still plague bring concerns when it comes to cloud
adoption. Data confidentiality can be achieved through encryption, which is in turn
implemented by cryptographic algorithms. Hence, this thesis proposes and puts into
practice cryptographic algorithms to solve issues of confidentiality, specifically in the
cloud.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.