Performance evaluation of post-quantum cryptographic algorithms : A comparative study of ML-DSA, SLH-DSA, and Ed25519

Sammanfattning

Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) has emerged as a means to protect encryption from Quantum Computing (QC). Quantum Computing poses a threat towards classical cryptography because of its enhanced capability to solve complex mathematical problems quickly. To combat this, NIST has developed three standards for PQC: FIPS 203, FIPS 204, and FIPS 205. This study compares how the algorithms defined in FIPS 204 and FIPS 205, ML-DSA and SLH-DSA, compare to a baseline classical algorithm, Ed25519. Findings show that both ML-DSA and SLH-DSA offer slower signing times and verifying times compared to Ed25519. The algorithms also consume different amounts memory which can have an impact on future implementations. Future directions include the addition of future algorithms to improve the generability, a closer look at the ecological impacts as well as examining the component bottleneck in order to get a better understanding of how a switch towards these algorithms may impact the future.