Experimentation on Usage of PQC Algorithms for eSign

In recent years, there has been ample research on quantum computing technology that uses quantum mechanics to solve complex mathematical problems that are difficult for classical computers to solve. Currently, digital communication has been secured by many of the public-key cryptosystems that could be compromised by quantum computers. The objective of post-quantum cryptography (also called quantum-resistant cryptography) in cryptographic systems is to protect information against quantum and classical computers. This paper proposes the use of post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) algorithms in digital signature applications over classical cryptographic algorithms to obtain confidentiality and integrity against quantum computers. To promote PQC in electronic signature applications (e-Sign), we developed a platform (QEsign) to illustrate and analyze the available PQC algorithms to evaluate the performance of the signing time required for a digital signature certificate (DSC) generation in the eSign system. Furthermore, QEsign also provides a provision to generate the CSR (Certificate Signing Request) by providing certificate subject information, which will be exploited to issue the DSC signed by post-quantum algorithms, and the evaluation report will be visualized using a graphical representation.