Digital identity system using post-quantum cryptographic paradigms

The paper operates within the emerging paradigm of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) as a replacement for the classical public-key cryptography paradigm (e.g., RSA, ECC) which is in a state of crisis due to its vulnerability to quantum computers. The work specifically adopts the newly established exemplars from the NIST PQC standardization process, namely the lattice-based CRYSTALS-Kyber and CRYSTALS-Dilithium algorithms, applying them to the domain of digital identity systems.

This preprint is classified as Normal Science because it engages in "puzzle-solving" within the new PQC paradigm. It does not introduce a revolutionary cryptographic theory but instead focuses on the practical application and articulation of recently standardized algorithms. The research addresses the engineering challenges of integrating CRYSTALS-Kyber and Dilithium into a workable digital identity framework, proposing a modular architecture and analyzing its performance and security against implementation-specific threats like timing attacks. This work of extending, testing, and refining a new paradigm to solve concrete problems is a hallmark of Normal Science activity.