ESPQ: Quantum-Safe Encapsulation Security Payload

The significance of virtual private networks (VPN) has increased rapidly over time. Enterprises utilize IPsec and other VPN technologies to provide a secure connection to mission-critical resources over the internet. The various sub-protocols of IPsec i.e., Encapsulation Security Payload (ESP) and Authentication Header (AH) provide confidentiality and integrity through the encryption mechanisms. Unfortunately, recent studies indicate that the traditional encryption techniques employed in IPsec could face a potential threat from the progress of quantum computing. To address this issue, this research proposes an improved Encapsulation Security Payload for Quantum Safety (ESPQ) which can serve as a post-quantum encryption and authentication algorithm for VPN networks. The proposed algorithm incorporates modern quantum-safe algorithms into its framework. Through extensive research and analysis of performance metrics, it has become evident that ESPQ surpasses the conventional methodology of ESP both in terms of heightened security safeguards and reduced system load requirements.