PQC Integration in eIDs

Awaiting Acceptance

Extended Access Control (EAC), Password Authenticated Connection Establishment (PACE), and Passive Authentication (PA) are currently the standard European Union (EU) protocols for establishing secure communication between electronic identity cards (eID), machine readable travel documents (MRTD), and service terminals. They serve the mutual authentication of the communication parties, as well as the verification of the terminal’s access to data stored on the proximity integrated circuit cards (PICC i.e. Chip Card). This work provides a first analysis of the feasibility of integrating post-quantum cryptography into these protocols, and their future suitability for usage in electronic documents. We address several aspects regarding the core cryptographic functionalities, design and implementation approaches, as well as required integration and migration strategies. Thus, we cover the whole spectrum of the PQC migration process tackling multifaceted issues and challenges facing this endeavor.

[Alna22] N. Alnahawi. On Integrating Post-Quantum Cryptography in Standard Security Protocols of Electronic Identification Documents. Submittted to Doktorandenforum der Sicherheit 2022, Sicherheit, Schutz und Zuverlässigkeit (GI Sicherheit 2022 Doktorandenforum)

Last modified November 19, 2021