Enhancing IoT Healthcare Security with Post-Quantum Cryptography: A Performance and Case Study Analysis

With the fast advances in quantum computing and its applications, traditional encryption methods employed by Internet of Things (IoT) healthcare devices are becoming increasingly vulnerable. As a result, Post-Quantum Cryptographic (PQC) algorithms have been used to protect patients’ private medical records. However, implementing and integrating PQC algorithms is challenging due to the resource restrictions of healthcare IoT systems. This research aims to evaluate the three PQC algorithms, NewHope, Kyber, and eXtended Merkle Signature Scheme (XMSS), regarding their efficiency, practicality, and drawbacks. The algorithms are implemented in wearable healthcare devices and are accordingly evaluated in terms of performance parameters, including encrypt and decrypt time, memory utilization, and power consumption. In addition, wearable healthcare devices have also been tested to determine secure changes in firmware and allow continuous patient monitoring. The result analysis reveals that when comparing encryption speed and energy economy, Kyber is better than NewHope, whereas XMSS shows better memory efficiency. These findings highlight how PQC algorithms can provide longevity to IoT-based healthcare environments in terms of security measures.