A Systematic Review of Public Key Cryptography: Implementation, Challenges and Future Opportunities
Daniel Gyasi-Nyarko, Emmanuel Freeman, Martin Mabeifam Ujakpa, Wellington Amponsah, Stephen Obeng Amoako · 2025
Public Key Cryptography (PKC) is a very important concept in cryptography. It helps provide a medium in which keys can be transmitted securely. With the use of a systemic literature review of 21 scholarly publications, this study dives into the implementation, challenges, and future prospects of PKC, highlighting its significance in combating emerging threats such as quantum computing. It highlights current advancements, including blockchain integration, post-quantum cryptography, and security enhancements for cloud computing and IoT. Major challenges include key management, computational efficiency, usability issues, and the emerging threat posed by quantum computing. The study underscores the need for transitioning to quantum-resistant cryptographic techniques and optimizing PKC for resource-constrained environments. This study highlights the need for further research focusing on the practical implementation of quantum-resistant cryptographic standards and the involvement of cross-industry collaboration to develop a universal security framework. Exploration of an AI-driven cryptographic solution and testing it in a real-world to assess its resistance to future threats is the next step for this research.