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Development of a Quantum-Resistant File Transfer System with Blockchain Audit Trail

Ernesto Sola-Thomas, Masudul H Imtiaz

TL;DR

Problem: quantum threats to public-key cryptography and centralized storage risk long-term data confidentiality and regulatory compliance. Approach: a modular design combining post-quantum cryptography CRYSTALS-Kyber and CRYSTALS-Dilithium with a blockchain audit trail to secure file transfer, storage, and authenticated access. Contributions: concrete three-module architecture, detailed pseudocode, and performance insights showing both practical latency and near-AES speeds in memory for PQC; an immutable blockchain log provides verifiability of all transactions. Significance: demonstrates a scalable, auditable, quantum-resistant data-management solution suitable for enterprise deployment in the post-quantum era.

Abstract

This paper presents a condensed system architecture for a file transfer solution that leverages post quantum cryptography and blockchain to secure data against quantum threats. The architecture integrates NIST standardized algorithms CRYSTALS Kyber for encryption and CRYSTALS Dilithium for digital signatures with an immutable blockchain ledger to provide an auditable, decentralized storage mechanism. The system is modular, comprising a Sender module for secure encryption and signing, a central User Storage module for decryption, reencryption, and blockchain logging, and a Requestor module for authenticated data access. We include detailed pseudocode, analyze security risks, and offer performance insights to demonstrate the system's robustness, scalability, and transparency.

Development of a Quantum-Resistant File Transfer System with Blockchain Audit Trail

TL;DR

Problem: quantum threats to public-key cryptography and centralized storage risk long-term data confidentiality and regulatory compliance. Approach: a modular design combining post-quantum cryptography CRYSTALS-Kyber and CRYSTALS-Dilithium with a blockchain audit trail to secure file transfer, storage, and authenticated access. Contributions: concrete three-module architecture, detailed pseudocode, and performance insights showing both practical latency and near-AES speeds in memory for PQC; an immutable blockchain log provides verifiability of all transactions. Significance: demonstrates a scalable, auditable, quantum-resistant data-management solution suitable for enterprise deployment in the post-quantum era.

Abstract

This paper presents a condensed system architecture for a file transfer solution that leverages post quantum cryptography and blockchain to secure data against quantum threats. The architecture integrates NIST standardized algorithms CRYSTALS Kyber for encryption and CRYSTALS Dilithium for digital signatures with an immutable blockchain ledger to provide an auditable, decentralized storage mechanism. The system is modular, comprising a Sender module for secure encryption and signing, a central User Storage module for decryption, reencryption, and blockchain logging, and a Requestor module for authenticated data access. We include detailed pseudocode, analyze security risks, and offer performance insights to demonstrate the system's robustness, scalability, and transparency.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 12 sections, 7 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. System Architecture
  3. High-Level Overview of the 3-System Design
  4. Sender Module
  5. User Storage and Blockchain Module
  6. Requestor Module
  7. Implementation and Performance Insights
  8. Security Considerations
  9. Discussion and Future Work
  10. Conclusion
  11. Attribution
  12. Icons and Graphics

Figures (7)

  • Figure 1: High-level system architecture showing interactions among the Sender, User Storage with Blockchain, and Requestor modules.
  • Figure 2: Pseudocode outlining the blockchain logging process for sender transactions.
  • Figure 3: Data flow for sender transactions processed by the User Storage module.
  • Figure 4: Data flow for Requestor transactions handled by the User Storage module.
  • Figure 5: Data flow diagram for the Requestor module.
  • ...and 2 more figures