Design and Simulation of an Energy-Efficient Adaptive Lightweight Post-Quantum Cryptographic Framework for Resource-Constrained IoT Devices

Design and Simulation of an Energy-Efficient Adaptive Lightweight Post-Quantum Cryptographic Framework for Resource-Constrained IoT Devices | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Design and Simulation of an Energy-Efficient Adaptive Lightweight Post-Quantum Cryptographic Framework for Resource-Constrained IoT Devices Dr. A. Mahendran This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8172767/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The increasing advancement of quantum computing threatens the security foundations of classical public-key cryptosystems, particularly RSA and ECC, which remain widely deployed across IoT infrastructures. However, existing post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) schemes are computationally intensive and often unsuitable for resource-constrained IoT devices where memory, CPU cycles, and battery capacity are severely limited. This work proposes EAL-PQCF, an Energy-Efficient Adaptive Lightweight Post-Quantum Cryptographic Framework explicitly designed for constrained IoT environments. The framework introduces a three-mode adaptive PQC strategy consisting of Eco-Secure, Standard-Secure, and Quantum-Threat modes, each selected dynamically based on device battery level, CPU load, and message sensitivity. A Python-based virtual testbed incorporating a simulated IoT device model, lattice-based PQC primitives, an energy estimation module, and an adaptive decision engine is developed for performance evaluation. Experimental results demonstrate that EAL-PQCF achieves 18–36% energy savings, 14–29% reduction in CPU cycles, and significantly improved battery longevity compared to baseline PQC methods. The proposed solution bridges the gap between high-security quantum-resistant cryptography and the practical constraints of IoT devices, offering a scalable pathway for secure next-generation IoT deployments. Theoretical Computer Science Post-Quantum Cryptography Lightweight Cryptography IoT Security Adaptive Encryption Energy Efficiency Lattice-Based Cryptography Python Simulation Framework Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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