OVS Meets PQ-TLS: Exploring Post-Quantum TLS for SDN's Southbound API
2026-08-17 • Networking and Internet Architecture
Networking and Internet Architecture
AI summaryⓘ
The authors looked at how to make software-defined networking (SDN) more secure using new types of encryption that can resist quantum computers, called post-quantum TLS (PQ-TLS). They tested how well these new encryption methods work when controlling network devices via the SDN southbound API, focusing on speed and how much computer power is used. They compared both fully post-quantum methods and hybrids with traditional methods against the old standard TLS encryption. Their study helps to understand the trade-offs between security and performance in future-proofing network control protocols.
Software-defined networkingSouthbound APITLSPost-quantum cryptographyRSAECDSALatencyCPU utilizationHybrid cryptographyKey establishment
Authors
Majd Latah, Kubra Kalkan
Abstract
Software-defined networking (SDN) is a novel networking paradigm that enables network programmability and centralized control for network devices. The southbound application programming interface (API) is used to control and manage the underlying data plane devices. The existing southbound API relies on TLS with legacy cryptographic algorithms such as RSA and ECDSA. In this paper, we explore the performance of the southbound API with postquantum TLS (PQ-TLS) support. We present a proof-of-concept of using PQ-TLS in SDN's southbound API. We study the performance of pure and hybrid PQ-TLS modes across different security levels and compare them with legacy TLS in terms of latency and CPU utilization. We also compare the performance of different post-quantum signature and key establishment schemes.