Post-Quantum SecureSensor Networks: Combining Ascon and SPHINCS+

With the introduction of readily available quantum computers such as Tunnel Falls from Intel, the development of post-quantum cryptography is imperative. Previously secure networks are vulnerable to the powerful brute-force capabilities of quantum hardware. Internet of Things sensor networks are especially vulnerable, as device and power constraints limit a sensor's ability to withstand attacks. Therefore, we developed the first hardware implementation of Ascon-Sign with a lightweight encryption and signature scheme. The hardware reduces the overall clock rate of the system while increasing the amount of hash permutations per clock cycle for the Ascon modules. This effectively increases the throughput of Ascon, the most computationally expensive module, while maintaining a lower clock frequency, and therefore power consumption of the other components. We prioritized power usage over throughput and the hardware showed a power reduction of 68%. The hardware can be integrated into a wireless sensor network for weather monitoring.