White paper “Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography in the Automotive Systems: Results from Practical Use Cases”

Prepare for the post-quantum transition of vehicles today: results obtained on real embedded hardware, for V2X communication and Plug & Charge.

Quantum computers threaten asymmetric cryptography, including in the automotive sector

Asymmetric cryptography is the foundation of digital security. Yet a vehicle’s lifetime can extend to decades, so it is critical that automotive systems are crypto-agile and that the sector begins its post-quantum transition now.

Regulatory pressure in Europe and beyond (ENISA, NIST) points the same way: recommendations call for completing the post-quantum transition within the next decade, as NIST finalises its Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) standards.

This white paper presents the results of collaborative research carried out under the Cybersecurity for Trusted Mobility (CTM) project by IRT SystemX, Oppida, Trialog and Renault Ampere. The PQC solutions were tested on real embedded hardware for two automotive use cases.

Two use cases tested on real hardware

• C-ITS: a hybrid ECDSA/FN-DSA (Falcon-512) signature deployed on real on-board units and validated through road trials, with negligible overhead.
• Plug & Charge: a hybrid ML-KEM key exchange and ML-DSA-65 signatures tested on a constrained platform, with an insightful result on performance.

What you will learn in this white paper

Practical lessons for vehicle manufacturers, suppliers and operators who need to plan their migration to post-quantum cryptography.

You will discover:

• How to carry out a quantum risk assessment and place PQC standards on their timeline.
• Why and how to hybridise signatures for C-ITS, with full certificates for the PKI and lighter ones for messages.
• The measurements obtained on constrained hardware: V2X road trials and the post-quantum TLS handshake for Plug & Charge.
• The two examples of PKI migration and the conditions under which they apply
• A hybridisation methodology based on standardised design principles and implemented with open-source tooling.
• The results of an industry survey on the sector’s readiness for migration.

 An overview before going any further: