Detailed review of lightweight PHOTON hash-based Signcryption approaches for IoT usage

As a result of the Internet of Things' (IoT) widespread use, a vast network of diverse, resource-constrained devices is constantly exchanging private information over dispersed networks. Because of the inadequate power, processing, and storage resources available, maintaining end-to-end secrecy, integrity, and authentication in these restricted circumstances continues to be an important issue. Despite being successful in lowering hardware complexity, current lightweight cryptographic techniques sometimes deal with hashing or encryption separately and lack a cohesive framework for signcryption. With an emphasis on PHOTON-based designs and signcryption techniques appropriate for IoT applications, this work methodically examines current developments in lightweight ciphers, hash functions, and authentication procedures published between 2021 and 2025. According to the investigation, PHOTON is still underrepresented in integrated signcryption contexts while demonstrating excellent diffusion and energy efficiency.  A thorough assessment of FPGA platform performance reveals shortcomings in real-time validation, scalability, and key management. In order to overcome these constraints, the study encourages the development of a lightweight PHOTON hash-based signcryption architecture that balances security, power, area, and throughput trade-offs for IoT contexts with limited resources. The results help lay the groundwork for safe, scalable, and cost-effective IoT cryptographic systems, enabling real-world implementation in various fields.