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Signer-Optimal Multiple-Time Post-Quantum Hash-Based Signature for Heterogeneous IoT Systems

Kiarash Sedghighadikolaei, Attila A. Yavuz, Saif E. Nouma

TL;DR

A new multiple-time hash-based signature called Maximum Utilization Multiple HORS (MUM-HORS) is proposed that offers PQ security, short signatures, fast signing, and high key utilization for an extended lifespan and addresses the inefficiency and key loss issues of HORS in offline/online settings.

Abstract

Heterogeneous Internet of Things (IoTs) harboring resource-limited devices like wearable sensors are essential for next-generation networks. Ensuring the authentication and integrity of security-sensitive telemetry in these applications is vital. Digital signatures provide scalable authentication with non-repudiation and public verifiability, making them essential tools for IoTs. However, emerging quantum computers necessitate post-quantum (PQ) secure solutions, yet existing NIST-PQC standards are costlier than their conventional counterparts and unsuitable for resource-limited IoTs. There is a significant need for lightweight PQ-secure digital signatures that respect the resource constraints of low-end IoTs. We propose a new multiple-time hash-based signature called Maximum Utilization Multiple HORS (MUM-HORS) that offers PQ security, short signatures, fast signing, and high key utilization for an extended lifespan. MUM-HORS addresses the inefficiency and key loss issues of HORS in offline/online settings by introducing compact key management data structures and optimized resistance to weak-message attacks. We tested MUM-HORS on two embedded platforms (ARM Cortex A-72 and 8-bit AVR ATmega2560) and commodity hardware. Our experiments confirm up to 40x better utilization with the same signing capacity (2^20 messages, 128-bit security) compared to multiple-time HORS while achieving 2x and 156-2463x faster signing than conventional-secure and NIST PQ-secure schemes, respectively, on an ARM Cortex. These features make MUM-HORS ideal multiple-time PQ-secure signature for heterogeneous IoTs.

Signer-Optimal Multiple-Time Post-Quantum Hash-Based Signature for Heterogeneous IoT Systems

TL;DR

A new multiple-time hash-based signature called Maximum Utilization Multiple HORS (MUM-HORS) is proposed that offers PQ security, short signatures, fast signing, and high key utilization for an extended lifespan and addresses the inefficiency and key loss issues of HORS in offline/online settings.

Abstract

Heterogeneous Internet of Things (IoTs) harboring resource-limited devices like wearable sensors are essential for next-generation networks. Ensuring the authentication and integrity of security-sensitive telemetry in these applications is vital. Digital signatures provide scalable authentication with non-repudiation and public verifiability, making them essential tools for IoTs. However, emerging quantum computers necessitate post-quantum (PQ) secure solutions, yet existing NIST-PQC standards are costlier than their conventional counterparts and unsuitable for resource-limited IoTs. There is a significant need for lightweight PQ-secure digital signatures that respect the resource constraints of low-end IoTs. We propose a new multiple-time hash-based signature called Maximum Utilization Multiple HORS (MUM-HORS) that offers PQ security, short signatures, fast signing, and high key utilization for an extended lifespan. MUM-HORS addresses the inefficiency and key loss issues of HORS in offline/online settings by introducing compact key management data structures and optimized resistance to weak-message attacks. We tested MUM-HORS on two embedded platforms (ARM Cortex A-72 and 8-bit AVR ATmega2560) and commodity hardware. Our experiments confirm up to 40x better utilization with the same signing capacity (2^20 messages, 128-bit security) compared to multiple-time HORS while achieving 2x and 156-2463x faster signing than conventional-secure and NIST PQ-secure schemes, respectively, on an ARM Cortex. These features make MUM-HORS ideal multiple-time PQ-secure signature for heterogeneous IoTs.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 16 sections, 2 theorems, 5 equations, 1 figure, 3 tables, 5 algorithms.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Our Contribution
  3. Notations and Preliminaries
  4. Models and Use Cases
  5. Proposed Scheme
  6. Performance Analysis and Comparison
  7. Parameter Selection and Experimental Setup
  8. Efficiency Evaluation and Comparison
  9. Security Analysis
  10. Related Work
  11. Conclusion
  12. Acknowledgement
  13. Bitmap Functionalities Using Linked List
  14. MUM-HORS Key Generation and Bitmap Operations
  15. Performance Evaluation and Comparison
  16. ...and 1 more sections

Key Result

Theorem 1

: Let $M$ be the random variable that counts the maximum number of balls in any bin. We throw $m$ balls independently and uniformly at random into $n$ bins. Then with high probability, $M > {load}_{max}$ and we have: In the above context, $m$ balls correspond to $t$ bits, $n$ bins correspond to $rt$$$BM rows, and $\alpha$ is the smoothing parameter. Increasing $\alpha$ provides a more conservativ

Figures (1)

  • Figure 1: $$MUM-HORS system model for a resource-limited wearable Medical IoT use-case.

Theorems & Definitions (6)

  • Definition 1
  • Definition 2
  • Definition 3
  • Definition 4
  • Theorem 1
  • Theorem 2