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Quantum-Resistant Public-Key Cryptography

Primary supervisor

Ron Steinfeld

Co-supervisors

Research area

Cybersecurity

Since the 1990s, researchers have known that commonly-used public-key cryptosystems (such as RSA and Diffie-Hellman systems) could be potentially broken using an efficient algorithm running on a hypothetical quantum computer based on the principles of quantum mechanics. This potential threat remains a theoretical possibility, but may become a real threat in coming years  due to significant advances in quantum computing technology. 

This project investigates the design, analysis and efficient implementation of alternative `quantum-resistant' public-key cryptosystems and protocols, focusing on their security against quantum computing attacks. A primary focus is on lattice-based cryptosystems exploiting the hardness of computational problems on Euclidean lattices (an infinite grid of points in a high-dimensional vector space). Topics of interest in this project include:

  • Encryption schemes and their applications
  • Authentication schemes and their applications 
  • Zero-knowledge proof protocols and their applications (e.g. to privacy preserving blockchain/cryptocurrency protocols)
  • Security foundations of quantum-resistant cryptography
  • Secure (side-channel resistant) and efficient implementation of quantum-resistant cryptography
  • Secure computation protocols and their applications (e.g. to private outsourced cloud computation) 

Required knowledge

  • Preferable: knowledge/understanding in discrete mathematics 
  • Preferable: knowledge/understanding of cryptography
  • Preferable: knowledge/understanding of quantum computation

Project funding

Project based scholarship

Learn more about minimum entry requirements.