How to create client TLS connection to post-quantum port?

[chris-giblin]

I would like to use BC to test client-side post-quantum TLS. I am noob to pq so I may be overlooking details in the set up. Is there an example available showing how to establish a pq TLS client connection?

Using the bc-173b10 beta, I attempt to connect to kyber ports at the Open Quantum Safe interop test server, however without success. Looks like the server is closing the socket during the handshake.

TLS client received alert: fatal(2), handshake_failure(40)
org.bouncycastle.tls.TlsFatalAlertReceived: handshake_failure(40)
at org.bouncycastle.tls.TlsProtocol.handleAlertMessage(TlsProtocol.java:244)
at org.bouncycastle.tls.TlsProtocol.processAlertQueue(TlsProtocol.java:736)
at org.bouncycastle.tls.TlsProtocol.processRecord(TlsProtocol.java:559)
at org.bouncycastle.tls.RecordStream.readRecord(RecordStream.java:245)
at org.bouncycastle.tls.TlsProtocol.safeReadRecord(TlsProtocol.java:875)
at org.bouncycastle.tls.TlsProtocol.blockForHandshake(TlsProtocol.java:422)
at org.bouncycastle.tls.TlsClientProtocol.connect(TlsClientProtocol.java:88)

Thanks!

[peterdettman]

We haven't yet added any support for cipher suites that would use any of the PQC algorithms. i.e. while we have a Kyber implementation we haven't integrated it for use with TLS.

[mukeshmohanan]

@peterdettman is this still the case ?

[peterdettman]

Yes, no change.

[mukeshmohanan]

Thank you, is there any documentation where I can refer how the kyber algorithm can be used as a KEM ? I was under the impression that as we have kyber offered there could be potential possibility consume this in TLS connection in my java service leveraging BCPQC provider and . could you please share some light on this ?

[rsmagdum]

@peterdettman this is still not intergrated for TLS... right?
So if I've understood correctly, BCPQC provider has support for PQC algorithms and appears there is work in progress for hybrid key exchange - https://downloads.bouncycastle.org/fips-java/docs/BC-FJA-PQC-Addon-1.0.1.pdf
This document discusses new classes added to derivce concatenated shared secret, but doesn't provide any details around TLS integration.

[chris-giblin]

Great, thanks for the clarification!