A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN TRADITIONAL ENCRYPTION ALGORITHMS AND POST-QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY IN LIGHT OF QUANTUM THREATS: AN ANALYTICAL COMPARISON BETWEEN THE ADVANCED ENCRYPTION STANDARD (AES) AND THE POST-QUANTUM ENCRYPTION ALGORITHM (CRYSTALS-KYBER)

Objective: This research offers a comparative analysis between the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and the post-quantum cryptographic algorithm known as CRYSTALS-Kyber, particularly in response to the increasing dangers that quantum computing presents to conventional encryption methods. The study focuses on the significant issues created by quantum machines that can tackle the intricate mathematical challenges foundational to traditional cryptographic techniques. Method: A practical comparative analysis method is utilized in this research, which evaluates the computational efficiency (in terms of encryption and decryption duration), memory usage and security levels for both algorithms under controlled programming settings. Results: The findings indicate that AES is more effective regarding speed and resource utilization for everyday use cases, like the Internet of Things (IoT) and electronic payment systems Novelty: In contrast, CRYSTALS-Kyber demonstrates its capability as a strong security standard against quantum threats positioning it as a vital requirement for safeguarding sensitive information in the long term.