Quantum-Resilient IoT Communication Framework Using Post-Quantum Cryptography and Blockchain for Secure Edge Devices

The rapid evolution of quantum computing poses a critical threat to classical cryptographic systems, particularly in the Internet of Things (IoT), where lightweight, real-time, and secure communication is essential. Existing frameworks such as STarEdgeChain, THASSA, and PQES have explored various quantum-resilient or blockchain-integrated security mechanisms; however, they suffer from limitations including high latency, dependence on trusted hardware, lack of full post-quantum coverage, and limited validation on constrained devices. Addressing these gaps, this study proposes PQShield-IoT, a novel, fully integrated framework that ensures end-to-end post-quantum secure communication for resource-constrained IoT environments. The framework combines NIST-standard Kyber512 for key encapsulation and Dilithium2 for digital signatures with a lightweight Hyperledger Fabric-based permissioned blockchain for decentralized identity and access management. Implemented in Contiki-NG and NS-3, PQShield-IoT incorporates an adaptive cryptographic optimization layer that utilizes algorithmic pruning and hardware acceleration to achieve energy-efficient performance. The proposed model demonstrated an accuracy improvement of 28.5% in session integrity and achieved throughput gains of 33.3%, operating at 20 operations per second with an average latency of 50 ms, outperforming prior works tested under similar simulation constraints. Tested on a 15-node IoT network simulating IEEE 802.15.4 using dynamic attack models. PQShield-IoT provides an architecture that is scalable, tamper-evident, and quantum-resilient. These initial findings provide an exciting avenue for research in deployable, auditable, and forward-secure communication across next-generation critical IoT infrastructures.