Optimizing packet size in post-quantum NB-IoT systems: Signature aggregation and Merkle tree pruning approaches
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https://doi.org/10.15625/1813-9663/23150Keywords:
Post-quantum digital signatures, signature aggregation, Merkle tree pruning, packet size optimization, NB-IoT security, ChaCha20-Poly1305, offloading verification, selective signing policy, lightweight IoT security, hybrid authentication mechanisms.Abstract
With the increasing adoption of post-quantum cryptographic schemes such as SPHINCS+ in Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) systems, a major challenge arises from large packet size overhead - often reaching approximate 34 KB per transmission due to stateless hash-based signature metadata. This paper investigates practical techniques for reducing this overhead while maintaining quantum resilience, including signature aggregation across multiple devices, Merkle tree pruning within SPHINCS+, and selective signing policies based on session frequency. We implement these strategies on an ESP32-WROOM-32 microcontroller interfaced with a SIM7080 NB-IoT module, demonstrating that packet size can be reduced by up to 60% through intelligent session management and optimized scheduling. Our results provide actionable insights for system architects aiming to deploy post-quantum security within strict bandwidth constraints typical of LPWAN environments.
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