Post-Quantum Cryptography Framework for Secure Academic Data Systems

Digital learning platforms, cloud-based academic management systems and online examination portals are used extensively, resulting in generation and storage of huge amount of sensitive academic data. The potential threat posed by future quantum computing attacks on existing public-key cryptographic algorithms such as RSA and ECC constitutes a major security risk for educational institutions. To address this issue, this paper proposes a Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) framework to secure academic data systems using lattice cryptography algorithms such as CRYSTALS-Kyber for key encapsulation and CRYSTALS-Dilithium for digital signatures. The proposed framework provides quantum-resistant authentication, secure key exchange and protected data storage and is compatible with existing academic infrastructures. The experimental results indicate that the framework achieves better confidentiality, integrity, and authentication with acceptable computational overhead compared to the traditional cryptographic approaches. The proposed solution can be applied to university information systems, digital examination platforms, student record management systems, research repositories, and cloud-based educational services to ensure long-term security against emerging quantum threats