Quantum-Resistant Cryptographic Framework for Secure Communication in Next-Generation Intelligent Networks

Abstract

The rapid evolution of intelligent communication systems, 6G wireless networks, Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous cyber-physical infrastructures, cloud-edge ecosystems, and quantum computing technologies has significantly transformed modern digital communication environments. While current cryptographic mechanisms such as RSA, ECC, and Diffie–Hellman have provided strong protection for distributed communication systems, the emergence of large-scale quantum computing threatens the security of traditional public-key cryptographic infrastructures. Quantum algorithms, particularly Shor’s algorithm and Grover’s search algorithm, possess the capability to efficiently solve integer factorization and discrete logarithm problems, thereby compromising classical cryptographic systems widely deployed across modern intelligent networks. As next-generation intelligent infrastructures increasingly depend on secure distributed communication, adaptive trust coordination, and privacy-preserving information exchange, the development of quantum-resistant cybersecurity architectures has become critically important. This research proposes a Quantum-Resistant Cryptographic Framework for Secure Communication in Next-Generation Intelligent Networks. The proposed framework integrates lattice-based post-quantum cryptography, blockchain-assisted distributed trust coordination, transformer-based threat analytics, graph neural trust reasoning, reinforcement-driven adaptive cyber optimization, and explainable cybersecurity intelligence to support scalable and resilient secure communication across intelligent distributed infrastructures. The framework continuously protects communication channels, authentication mechanisms, distributed trust coordination, and infrastructure integrity against both classical and quantum-enabled cyber threats.