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Incorporating Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) for Session Security An Exhaustive Evaluation of LMS/XMSS and SPHINCS+ for Quantum-Resistant Session Tokens

Authors: Santhoshkumar Sekar; S Arunarani;

Incorporating Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) for Session Security An Exhaustive Evaluation of LMS/XMSS and SPHINCS+ for Quantum-Resistant Session Tokens

Abstract

The existential threat posed by large-scale quantum computers (LSQCs) necessitates the immediate and strategic replacement of classical public-key cryptography (PKC) across all critical security layers. Session security, which relies on the integrity and authenticity of state tokens in horizontally scalable architectures, presents a uniquely challenging migration vector. This paper delivers a comprehensive, sixty-page-equivalent technical analysis of the architectural integration of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) into session token protocols. We conduct an in-depth evaluation of the NIST-standardized hash-based signature (HBS) schemes, focusing on the stateful LMS/XMSS and the stateless SPHINCS+. Our analysis includes formal security models, detailed performance profiling (including parameter-set specificity), and operational modeling of deployment architectures. We confirm that the stateless requirement renders LMS/XMSS nonviable for high-volume session signing. While SPHINCS+ solves the state dependency, its inherent large signature size (up to 41 KB) and signing latency preclude its direct use in standard HTTP session headers. We formally propose and validate a Dual-Layer Hybrid PQC Strategy that combines Kyber Key Encapsulation Mechanisms (KEMs) for transport security with high-entropy symmetric Message Authentication Codes (MACs) for token integrity, providing an immediate, performant, and quantumsafe solution, while reserving compact lattice-based signatures (Dilithium) for future direct token signing.

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
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Average
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