Post-Quantum Cryptography for Intelligent Transportation Systems: An Implementation-Focused Review

2026-01-03

arXiv.org

AI Summary

This study addresses the urgent need to transition intelligent transportation systems (ITS) from conventional cryptography to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) in light of emerging quantum computing threats, a shift currently hindered by the absence of deployment-oriented engineering guidance and standards alignment. The work presents the first systematic assessment of PQC readiness for vehicular communications and V2X security standards, integrating algorithmic evaluation, embedded implementation analysis, hybrid cryptographic architecture design, and physical-layer security testing to identify thirteen critical research gaps. It proposes a phased deployment roadmap that balances regulatory compliance, performance constraints, and security requirements, and advocates advancing PQC adoption in ITS through standards evolution, low-power optimizations, enhanced interoperability, and AI-assisted side-channel countermeasures, thereby offering both theoretical grounding and practical guidance for real-world implementation.

Technology Category

• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Machine Learning: Quantum Machine Learning
• Application Domains: Transportation

Application Category

• Security and Privacy: Applications of cryptography
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Virtualization and resource management in Web systems and infrastructures
• Responsible Web: Measurement, analysis, and circumvention of Web censorship

Abstract

As quantum computing advances, the cryptographic algorithms that underpin confidentiality, integrity, and authentication in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) face increasing vulnerability to quantum-enabled attacks. To address these risks, governments and industry stakeholders are turning toward post-quantum cryptography (PQC), a class of algorithms designed to resist adversaries equipped with quantum computing capabilities. However, existing studies provide limited insight into the implementation-focused aspects of PQC in the ITS domain. This review fills that gap by evaluating the readiness of vehicular communication and security standards for PQC adoption. It examines in-vehicle networks and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) interfaces, while also investigating vulnerabilities at the physical layer, primarily exposure to side-channel and fault injection attacks. The review identifies thirteen research gaps reflecting non-PQC-ready standards, constraints in embedded implementation and hybrid cryptography, interoperability and certificate-management barriers, lack of real-world PQC deployment data in ITS, and physical-attack vulnerabilities in PQC-enabled vehicular communication. Future research directions include updating vehicular communication and security standards, optimizing PQC for low-power devices, enhancing interoperability and certificate-management frameworks for PQC integration, conducting real-world evaluations of PQC-enabled communication and control functions across ITS deployments, and strengthening defenses against AI-assisted physical attacks. A phased roadmap is presented, aligning PQC deployment with regulatory, performance, and safety requirements, thereby guiding the secure evolution of ITS in the quantum computing era.

Problem

• Post-Quantum Cryptography
• Intelligent Transportation Systems
• V2X Communication
• Side-Channel Attacks
• Cryptographic Standards

Innovation

• post-quantum cryptography
• intelligent transportation systems
• V2X security
• side-channel attacks
• embedded implementation