Introduced: Protecting Future Networks and 5G from the Quantum Threat with the QORE Framework
5G and Beyond
Modern telecommunications and secure 5G systems now rely on traditional public-key cryptography techniques like Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) and RSA, which are seriously and urgently threatened by the rapidly increasing capability of quantum computers. Since these standards are susceptible to attacks made possible by quantum computers, especially those that use Shor’s algorithm, safeguarding 5G networks has become a top engineering and scientific concern. Long-lived sensitive data must be safeguarded today against future decryption, and this new danger includes the possibility of “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” attacks.
In order to tackle this enormous task, a group of researchers comprising Vipin Rathi, Lakshya Chopra, Rudraksh Rawal, and others presented the QORE framework. Quantum Secure 5G/B5G Core, or QORE for short, is intended to offer a straightforward transition path for the security of 5G and Beyond 5G (B5G) Core Networks and User Equipment (UE) to Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). For long-term network data and communications, QORE’s primary objective is to provide quantum-secure secrecy and integrity.
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NIST-Standardized PQC Forms the Foundation
The core idea behind QORE’s technology is to incorporate NIST-standardized lattice-based PQC algorithms straight into the 5G SBA. Two main algorithms are used in this:
Module-Lattice Key Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM): The algorithm known as the Module-Lattice Key Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM) is crucial to key establishment. Additionally, the Post-Quantum Subscription Concealed Identifier (PQ-SUCI), a post-quantum type of subscriber identity concealment, is specifically used for it.
Module-Lattice Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA): For digital signatures, the Module-Lattice Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA) is used. In the context of the Post-Quantum Public Key Infrastructure (PQ-PKI), which is utilized for Core Network Function (NF) authentication, this is very pertinent.
In crucial protocols, these lattice-based algorithms are taking the place of the RSA and ECC primitives, which are vulnerable.
Securing Every Interface: Protocols and Zero-Trust
The goal of the extensive QORE framework is to secure a number of vital inter-functional channels throughout the 5G architecture.
The Zero-Trust security architecture is enforced via PQ-mTLS (Post-Quantum Mutual TLS), which takes the role of traditional mTLS for securing communication over the Service-Based Interface (SBI) between Core Network Functions. Within the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, specifically TLS 1.3, QORE is a pioneer in the use of ML-KEM for key exchange and ML-DSA for digital signatures to secure communication channels within the 5G core network.
QORE uses PQ-IPsec/PQ-DTLS for the control and user plane interfaces (N2 and N3) with the Radio Access Network (RAN) and Core Network. Adapting Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) to protect UDP-based 5G control plane signaling that is susceptible to latency is one example of this. Additionally, ML-KEM is used by the PQ-SUCI method to safeguard the Subscriber Permanent Identifier (SUPI) while it is being transmitted. The NIST-standardized algorithms can be used to rebuild important security protocols, such as TLS, IPsec, mTLS, and OAuth2.0, according to the framework.
Additionally, the framework promotes improved security primitives, suggesting the adoption of a Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) for really random key creation and the transition to higher symmetric key sizes, such as AES-256, for ciphering and integrity protection.
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Hybrid Strategy Ensures Smooth Transition
A Hybrid PQC (HPQC) configuration is suggested by QORE to enable a gradual and seamless migration. Elliptic Curve Cryptography and other classical primitives, as well as quantum-safe primitives like ML-KEM and ML-DSA, are combined in this technique. Throughout the transition phase, this hybrid strategy is intended to preserve compatibility with the present 5G infrastructure and interoperability with existing technologies.
Validation: Minimal Overhead Meets Carrier-Grade Performance
The new lattice-based algorithms fulfill the demanding low-latency and high-throughput requirements of carrier-grade 5G systems with minimal performance overhead, as demonstrated by experimental validation of QORE.
Performance metrics reveal impressive results:
Key Generation: A key generation rate of 3.16 million keys per second was measured by the ML-KEM-512 using GPU acceleration. With a high throughput of 236,000 key generations per second, the suggested security level, ML-KEM-768, offers security on par with AES-192. This offers better quantum resistance and boosts performance by 2.4 times compared to the classical X25519.
Digital Signatures: The ML-DSA-44 can capture 250,000 signatures per second, which is sufficient for normal transmission speeds. At 1.15 million per second, verification activities are even quicker.
Latency and Memory: The implementation of ML-KEM and ML-DSA in contemporary virtualized network setups results in a minimal memory overhead of only 30 to 50 KB of additional RAM per connection. PQ-TLS handshakes have a slight extra latency of 8–12 ms, which is 20–30% more for 5GC control-plane transactions; important, user-plane traffic is unaffected.
Scalability: A single core can start more than 50,000 PQ-TLS sessions per second, according to scalability tests, while OAuth token verification can complete 1.15 million operations per second, handling millions of concurrent service requests. In order to fulfill the bandwidth requirements of 5G user-planes, the solution additionally maintains IPsec throughput between 10 and 40 Gbps per core.
This thorough analysis shows that lattice-based algorithms not only satisfy but also occasionally surpass carrier-grade infrastructure’s performance requirements. Network operators preparing to transition to quantum-safe systems can use QORE’s practical blueprint, which is in line with ongoing worldwide standardization initiatives like as those by NIST, 3GPP SA3, and GSMA.
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