Next-Generation Digital Identity Towards Quantum-safe, Decentralized and Privacy Preserving Ecosystems

Project description

In today’s world, almost every aspect of life, whether it is banking, healthcare, travel, or education, requires a secure digital identity. While these systems make access convenient, they also depend on cryptographic techniques that may soon be vulnerable to the power of quantum computers. If current methods are broken, sensitive personal data and authentication systems could be at risk. This makes it essential to rethink how digital identities are built and protected for the future. This project aims to design a next-generation digital identity system that is quantum-safe, decentralized, and privacy-preserving. So how do we make it quantum-safe? We aim to do it by using post-quantum cryptography (PQC) for signatures and key exchange. We make it decentralized by storing Decentralized Identifiers (DID) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) on blockchain to avoid reliance on a single authority. To make it privacy-preserving, we allow the users to share only the necessary details. To achieve these aims, the project will adopt W3C standards for decentralized identity and verifiable credentials and extend them with PQC algorithms such as ML-DSA for digital signatures and ML-KEM for secure communication. A permissioned blockchain will serve as the backbone for recording DID documents and revocation lists. The system will also support a hybrid mode, combining classical and quantum-safe cryptography for smoother transition and practical deployment. The methodology includes prototype implementation and evaluation, focusing on aspects like security strength against quantum threats, system performance like latency, throughput, credential size, and effectiveness of privacy features.

Outcomes

Project Outcomes: 1. A working digital identity system that uses post-quantum cryptography to stay secure even when quantum computers become powerful enough to break today’s methods. 2. A blockchain-based model where identity records are decentralized and tamper-proof, removing the risks of a single authority controlling all data. 3. Built-in privacy features that let users prove only what is needed without exposing all their personal information. 4. A prototype implementation showing how credentials can be issued, shared, and verified securely in real-world cases such as banking, healthcare, or e-governance. 5. An evaluation of performance and practicality, including how fast the system works, how much extra cost PQC adds, and how organizations could gradually move from today’s cryptography to quantum-safe solutions.

Essential capabilities

Strong background in computer science, cryptography or cybersecurity.,

Desireable capabilities

Familiarity with blockchain technologies, knowledge of post-quantum cryptography or privacy-preserving algorithms.

Expected qualifications (Course/Degrees etc.)

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, IT or related discipline, Master’s degree in AI, Cybersecurity or related field.