Secure implementation of a quantum-future GAKE protocol

Abstract

Incorrect cryptographic protocol implementation and malware attacks targeting its runtime may lead to insecure execution even if the protocol design has been proven safe. This research focuses on adapting a runtime-verification-centric trusted execution environment (RVTEE) solution to a quantum-future cryptographic protocol deployment. We aim to show that our approach is practical through an instantiation of a trusted execution environment supported by runtime verification and any hardware security module compatible with commodity hardware. In particular, we provide: (i) A group chat application case study which uses the quantum-future group key establishment protocol from Gonzalez Vasco et al., (ii) An implementation of the protocol from Gonzalez Vasco et al. employing a resource-constrained hardware security module, (iii) The runtime verification setup tailored for the protocol’s properties, (iv) An empirical evaluation of the setup focusing on the user experience of the chat application.