# Developing Quantum Trusted Platform Module (QTPM) to Advance IoT Security
## 1 Introduction  
The Internet of Things (IoT) is defined as \"a network of physical objects accessed over the internet\", which is a rapidly growing field that encompasses a wide range of applications, including smart grids, smart cities, smart homes, smart healthcare, smart agriculture, etc. [1, 2, 3]. The number of connected IoT devices has increased from 500 million in 2003 to approximately 19.6 billion in 2024. The typical IoT architecture is composed of four layers: physical/things layer, sensor/perception layer, network/communication layer, and service/application layer [4, 5, 6]. A key feature of IoT devices is their ability to sense and collect data from their environment, processing this information through network interactions. Despite its vast potential, IoT faces significant challenges, particularly in the areas of privacy and security [7]. There is a pressing need for a comprehensive security framework to safeguard all layers of IoT architecture. Proposed solutions include authentication and access control, encryption, intrusion detection systems (IDS), firmware updates, and privacy protection frameworks [8]. Among these, cryptographic solutions are considered crucial for addressing authentication and authorization challenges, as they form the foundation for ensuring data integrity and confidentiality. One of the core security components for IoT systems is trusted computing, which establishes standards aimed at strengthening the integrity of communication between hardwareand software. A key element of this framework is TPM, a hardware-based security solution that creates a secure environment to ensure the integrity of cryptographic operations. TPMs enable features such as secure boot, remote attestation, and encryption, supporting the four fundamental goals of cryptography: confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and non-repudiation. However, IoT devices face a low entropy issue, which further complicates their ability to generate strong cryptographic keys. This limitation arises from their resource constraints (e.g., low processing power, battery and power constraints, etc. ), lack of diverse input sources, and limited operational environments, often leading to weaker randomness from pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs) and exposing devices to additional security risks. Moreover, the emergence of quantum computing presents both new opportunities and threats to IoT security. Quantum computers, with their ability to solve complex mathematical problems exponentially faster than classical computers, threaten existing cryptographic schemes, which IoT systems rely on for secure communications. Quantum algorithms like Shor's and Grover's can break traditional encryption methods, making IoT devices that use these vulnerable to quantum attacks [9; 10]. As a result, IoT devices that rely on these encryption schemes could face serious security risks. There is an urgent need for quantum-safe approaches to advance IoT security in the quantum era. In this paper, we propose to develop and implement a lightweight quantum-enabled security solution to advance IoT security. Our proposed work makes the following novel contributions:  
* First, we present the first practical implementation of a quantum trusted platform module (QTPM) by integrating a QRNG with a software-based TPM (STPM) framework, providing a lightweight quantum-enhanced cryptographic solution for the IoT. This approach ensures a higher level of cryptographic strength by leveraging quantum-generated randomness, addressing the vulnerabilities of classical random number generators. * Second, a quantum entropy as a service (QEaaS) framework is introduced to provide quantum entropy to legacy IoT devices that are unable to integrate QTPM hardware, enhancing their cryptographic operations by supplying them with quantum-secure randomness for key generation and other cryptographic functions.