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Objectives and Ambition

The FORTRESS project aims to secure the next generation of digital systems against emerging quantum threats by developing a quantum-safe secure boot framework. It addresses the urgent need to transition from traditional cryptographic methods (e.g., RSA) — vulnerable to quantum attacks — toward Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and hybrid PQ/Traditional (PQ/T) models.

FORTRESS will deliver a scalable, high-performance, and standards-aligned Hybrid Root of Trust (RoT) architecture that strengthens the integrity of embedded systems, edge devices, and Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). The project balances security, performance, and cost, enabling a smooth migration to quantum-resilient architectures across Europe.

Objectives

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Objective 1 – KPI Exploration
Develop a benchmarking framework for PQ/T hybrid secure-boot systems to evaluate trade-offs in security, cost, and performance.

  • Define KPIs for IoT/edge and CNI contexts.

  • Create open-source benchmarking and evaluation tools.

  • Publish an evaluation report and industry guidelines.

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Objective 2 – PQ/T Hybrid Root of Trust
Design a flexible, CHERI-enabled PQ/T Hybrid Root of Trust integrating hardware and software components.

  • Support multiple PQC algorithms (e.g., LMS, SLH-DSA, ML-DSA, FN-DSA).

  • Implement resistance to side-channel and fault attacks.

  • Demonstrate efficient, secure boot with measurable performance and power metrics.

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Objective 3 – Secure Boot Demonstrator
Showcase real-world secure boot implementations for IoT/Edge and CNI environments.

  • Demonstrate PQ/T-based trusted communication between endpoints and cloud.

  • Validate application integrity and attestation during operation.

  • Measure performance overheads and latency.

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Objective 4 – Security Tool Deployment
Provide security testing and validation tools to support large-scale PQC adoption.

  • Develop commercial tools with physical and logical attack libraries.

  • Enable non-regression testing for PQC algorithms.

  • Integrate into development cycles and deliver verifiable JIL ratings.

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Objective 5 – Trusted Communications Platform
Build a Trusted Communication Platform using PQ/T hybrid encryption for secure, efficient IoT and CNI connectivity.

  • Optimise for low-resource devices.

  • Ensure robust data integrity and system resilience.

  • Validate performance and energy efficiency under PQC operations.

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Objective 6 – Dissemination, Standardisation, and Exploitation
Maximise impact by promoting FORTRESS innovations across industry, academia, and standardisation bodies.

  • Publish whitepapers and research papers.

  • Host workshops, webinars, and demos.

  • Contribute to at least five international standardisation efforts.

  • Develop business, exploitation, and innovation strategies.