Key Encapsulation Mechanism-Based Integrated Encryption Scheme (KEM-IES)
2026-05-11 • Cryptography and Security
Cryptography and SecurityNetworking and Internet ArchitecturePerformance
AI summaryⓘ
The authors point out that a common encryption method called ECIES might become unsafe as quantum computers get better. To fix this, they designed a new scheme called KEM-IES that uses a special kind of encryption safer against quantum attacks. They also added an efficient algorithm named Ascon to make their scheme run faster and work well on small devices like Raspberry Pi. They tested and compared their new method with the old one to check performance.
ECIESQuantum ComputingPost-Quantum CryptographyKey Encapsulation MechanismAscon AlgorithmNISTEmbedded SystemsRaspberry PiEncryption SchemeComputational Efficiency
Authors
Abel C. H. Chen
Abstract
The Elliptic Curve Integrated Encryption Scheme (ECIES) is widely regarded as a practical method and has been adopted by multiple standards. However, the advancement of quantum computing technologies poses potential security risks to ECIES. Therefore, this study proposes a Key Encapsulation Mechanism-Based Integrated Encryption Scheme (KEM-IES), which enhances resistance to quantum attacks by incorporating a Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)-based Key Encapsulation Mechanism (KEM). Furthermore, the study integrates the Ascon algorithm, released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in August 2025, to further improve computational efficiency and enable applicability to embedded systems. The proposed KEM-IES and its Ascon-based variant are implemented on a Raspberry Pi 4, and evaluations are conducted to compare the performance of ECIES and KEM-IES.