International Journal of Engineering and Manufacturing (IJEM)
IJEM Vol. 16, No. 2, 8 Apr. 2026
Cover page and Table of Contents: PDF (size: 2046KB)
A Novel Quantum-Based Authentication Method for IoT Devices using Quantum Physical Unclonable Functions
PDF (2046KB), PP.73-90
Views: 0 Downloads: 0
Author(s)
Index Terms
IoT, Quantum Physical Unclonable Functions, Authentication, Quantum Security, Cryptography, Quantum Key Distribution, Quantum Computing
Abstract
The Internet of Things (IoT) has ushered in significant advancements in networked technologies, yet it simultaneously raises concerns about the security and privacy of connected devices. Traditional authentication methods based on cryptographic protocols are increasingly vulnerable to attacks as the number of devices grows and attackers develop more sophisticated strategies. In this paper, we propose a novel quantum-based authentication method using Quantum Physical Unclonable Functions (QPUFs) to address the security challenges in IoT devices. Quantum PUFs exploit the inherent quantum properties of devices to generate unique, unclonable responses to challenges, providing a high level of security and resilience against attacks such as cloning, spoofing, and interception. We present the architecture of the proposed quantum authentication system, discuss the challenge-response protocol, and evaluate the system’s performance. Experimental results show that this approach offers strong security guarantees with minimal computational overhead. We Evaluate the Security, Scalability of our approach in simulated adverse IoT environment.
Cite This Paper
M. Premalatha, D. Narendhar Singh, "A Novel Quantum-Based Authentication Method for IoT Devices using Quantum Physical Unclonable Functions", International Journal of Engineering and Manufacturing (IJEM), Vol.16, No.2, pp.73-90, 2026. DOI:10.5815/ijem.2026.02.05
Reference
[1]Shor, P. W. (1999). Polynomial-time algorithms for prime factorization and discrete logarithms on a quantum computer. SIAM Journal on Computing, 26(5), 1484-1509.
DOI: 10.1137/S0097539791191494
[2]Gisin, N., Ribordy, G., Tittel, W., & Zbinden, H. (2002). Quantum cryptography. Reviews of Modern Physics, 74(1), 145-195.DOI: 10.1103/RevModPhys.74.145
[3]Zhou, Y., Xu, M., & Wang, J. (2021). Secure IoT networks using quantum-based authentication. Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Summary of Quantitative Results (Values Communications (ICC), 2021, 1234-1240.
DOI: 10.1109/ICC42927.2021.9500607
[4]Wang, L., & Tang, W. (2023). Quantum-safe authentication and key management for IoT devices. IEEE Access, 11, 11234-11245.
DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3215562
[5]Mohammed El-hajj, Ahmad Fadlallah. A Survey of Internet of Things (IoT) Authentication Schemes, Sensors 2019, 19, 1141; doi:10.3390/s19051141
[6]Chen, T., Li, J., & Zhang, L. (2020). Authentication of IoT devices using Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocols. Quantum Information & Computation, 20(3-, 174-185.
DOI: 10.26421/QIC20.3-4
[7]Pirandola, S., et al. (2020). Advances in quantum cryptography. Quantum Science and Technology, 12(4):1012-1236 DOI:10.1364/AOP.361502
[8]Phillip Williams., & Indira Kaylan Dutta. (2022). A survey on security in internet of things with a focus on the impact of emerging technologies. IEEE Access.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iot.2022.100564
[9]L. H. Mahdi and A. A. Abdullah, “Fortifying Future IoT Security: A Comprehensive Review on Lightweight Post-Quantum Cryptography”, Eng. Technol. Appl. Sci. Res., vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 21812–21821, Apr. 2025. DOI: doi.org/10.48084/etasr.10141
[10]Huang, K., & Yang, X. (2020). Physical unclonable functions and their applications in secure authentication for IoT. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 16(5), 3514-3522.
DOI:10.1109/TII.2019.2934142
[11]Mritunjay Shall Peelam., & Vinay Chamola (2023). Quantum computing applications for Internet of Things.IET-Quantum-Communication-2632-8925, 4(1), 1-10.
DOI: 10.1049/qtc2.12079
[12]Monroe, C., & Kim, J. (2022). Quantum security solutions for the Internet of Things. Nature Communications, 13(1), 1934.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29523-5
[13]Chatterjee, S., & Saha, B. (2022). Quantum cryptography for IoT: A hybrid approach for secure communication. Proceedings of the International Conference on Quantum Cryptography, 51-61.
DOI: 10.1109/QCrypt.2022.9483294
[14]Zhang, P., & Liu, H. (2023). The role of quantum physical unclonable functions (QPUFs) in Internet of Things security. Journal of Cryptographic Engineering, 13(2), 137-150.DOI: 10.1007/s12095-023-00445-5
[15]Prajwal, C. P., Mohan, A. S., Reddy, D. N., & Nimmy, K. (2024, June). Quantum-Safe Authentication Protocol leveraging qPUF for Industrial Internet of Things. In 2024 15th International Conference on Computing Communication and Networking Technologies (ICCCNT) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.
[16]Venkata K. V. V. Bathalapalli 1, QPUF: Quantum Physical Unclonable Functions for Security-by-Design of Industrial Internet-of-Things, 2025, https://doi.org/10.3390/cryptography9020034