Quantum computers pose a long-term threat to many currently used cryptographic schemes as they are able to efficiently solve the computational problems those schemes are based on. This threat has lead to research into quantum-resistant cryptographic schemes to eventually replace those currently used, as well as research into how to ease the transition from classical schemes to quantum-resistant ones. One approach to address these issues is to use a combiner that creates hybrid schemes, that is schemes which are classically and quantum-resistant, to protect against quantum attacks and maintain current security guarantees. Such combiners are used as a way to provide trust from different schemes and their differing computational difficulty assumptions rather than a single scheme. which may later become vulnerable. An important type of scheme that must be secure against both classical and quantum attacks are key encapsulation mechanisms (KEMs), as they are commonly used for constructing public-key encryption and key exchange protocols. We first define new security notions for KEMs modeling attackers of various levels of quantum power ranging from fully classical to fully quantum. We then construct a combiner that creates hybrid schemes for key encapsulation mechanisms which is secure against adversaries with varying levels of quantum power over time and can be implemented efficiently. Our construction provides an efficient method to combine KEMs using an additional scheme. This construction is also general enough that it can be implemented in settings such as key exchange protocols, like those used in the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol for web browsers, without affecting existing structure meaningfully. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Quantum computers present a threat to current cryptography, as they would be able to break many widely used public-key encryption schemes. In order maintain the security of communication infrastructure it is important that quantum-resistant algorithms become more common in use. However, adoption of quantum-resistant algorithms has been relatively slow, in part due to not wanting to risk abandoning schemes that are secure currently. In this thesis we focus on a specific type of scheme called a key encapsulation mechanism (KEM), used to fix a session key for communicating. We construct a secure way to combine currently secure KEMs and quantum-resistant KEMs that are secure now and against quantum computer. Our construction is simple enough that it can be implemented efficiently to provide quantum-resistant security, thus encouraging adoption of quantum-resistant algorithms.

Microparticles (KEMs) made from the sorghum prolamin protein, kafirin, have internal vacuoles. Hence, they have potential as delivery vehicles for nutraceuticals. However, their physico-chemical properties need to be improved for this application. The influence of kafirin extracted from white tan-plant and red non-tannin sorghum types of 81% and 84% protein content respectively and the rate of water addition on the formation of KEMs from kafirin in acetic acid solution by coacervation on their morphology was investigated. A water flow rate of 1.4 and 0.7 ml/min during coacervation using 81% kafirin resulted in spherical-shaped KEMs between 1 and 10 μm in diameter and vacuoles up to 2 μm. KEMs made with 84% kafirin at a flow rate of 0.7 ml/min were large and oval-shaped with an average length and width of 43 and 21 μm respectively and numerous vacuoles up to 3 μm. At a flow rate of 1.4 ml/min, the KEMs were oval-shaped with larger vacuole sizes (5 μm), a length and width of 91 and 30 μm respectively. However, SDS-PAGE indicated that neither the source of kafirin, nor the conditions of microparticle preparation had an effect on KEMs protein molecular size.As the presence of phenolic compounds in the kafirins might have been responsible for the differences in KEMs morphology, the effect of sorghum-derived polyphenols (extracted from condensed-tannin and non-tannin black sorghum brans) on the physico-chemical properties of KEMs was then investigated using 81% kafirin. Aqueous condensed tannin (10.1 mg CE (catechin equivalent)/100 mg extract) and black non-tannin (4.6 mg CE/100 mg extract) extracts in varying concentrations, were substituted for the water used for coacervation. KEMs made with condensed tannin extracts were oval-shaped and much larger, than control KEMs ranging from 20 to 400 μm, with rough surfaces and enlarged vacuoles. The enlarged vacuoles were probably due to more air being trapped within the particles during formation. However, KEMs made from non-tannin phenolic extracts were smaller and spherical with average diameters up to 18 μm. Tannins are known to bind strongly to kafirin through hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds, which probably resulted in the larger microparticles. The KEMs made from condensed tannins also had high antioxidant capacities compared to KEMs made from non-tannin phenolic extracts, attributed to tannins being more potent antioxidants. Thus, condensed tannin extracts are the most beneficial as they contributed towards the antioxidant activity of the KEMs, resulting in the development of innovative KEMs with added antioxidant benefits and enlarged size. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Food Science / unrestricted