A Systematic Review of Code-Based Signature Schemes for Long-Term Archival Documents: Methods, Architectures, and Future Research Directions

Abstract

Code-based signature schemes have emerged as a foundational pillar in post-quantum cryptography, particularly for long-term archival documents where security must persist against both classical and quantum adversaries. This paper presents a systematic review of code-based digital signature schemes, focusing on their methods, architectural designs, and applicability in long-term archival systems. The study synthesizes thirty research contributions published between 2018 and 2025, analyzing advancements in error-correcting code constructions, hash-based transformations, and hybrid cryptographic frameworks. The findings reveal a steady evolution from traditional syndrome decoding approaches toward optimized, compact, and efficient schemes suitable for real-world deployment. Additionally, the integration of artificial intelligence techniques in parameter tuning and security evaluation has introduced new dimensions in cryptographic design. This paper contributes a comprehensive comparative analysis, identifies key research gaps, and proposes future research directions aimed at enhancing scalability, efficiency, and robustness of code-based signatures within modern software engineering ecosystems.