Brief Description

Commercially useful quantum computing introduces a threat to all encryption used today – bringing on yet another paradigm shift in the algorithms used to perform encryption. This most recent threat has highlighted a perennial issue with encryption: these algorithms are tightly coupled to the software that leverages it, making upgrades extremely difficult, time and resource intensive, and custom for each application. Academic and industry leaders such as IBM assert that “cryptographic agility” or the ability to modularize and swap out cryptography is the “most sustainable and effective way to make cryptosystems resilient for the quantum era”. This demonstration shows the capabilities of a NIST Level 4 cryptographic agility platform applied to real-world scenarios.

Problem Statement

Organizations across various sectors rely on secure communication of sensitive data over untrusted networks, which are increasingly vulnerable to the threat posed by quantum computers. With advancements in quantum computing, particularly through Shor’s Algorithm, a quantum computer with just over 4,000 error-corrected qubits could potentially break public-key cryptographic algorithms currently used to protect data in transit, including electronic health records, financial transactions, and blockchain systems. This creates an urgent need for organizations to upgrade their cryptographic frameworks to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). However, treating this transition as a one-time overhaul ignores the necessity for cryptographic agility—essential for addressing ongoing cybersecurity risks and future migrations as quantum and AI threats evolve.

Solution

The QuProtect platform offers a comprehensive solution to ensure cryptographic agility across complex digital networks and infrastructures. Its key capabilities include the seamless adoption of both PQC and crypto-agility, compatibility with legacy systems, and the real-time ability to change cryptographic algorithms and libraries as needed. The platform enables organizations to proactively secure communications and data transmissions by transitioning to advanced cryptographic methods as new threats or regulations emerge, thus mitigating the risk of future long-term cryptographic migrations. QuProtect ensures that industries, such as healthcare and financial services, can maintain secure communications, protect sensitive data, and adapt quickly to evolving cybersecurity challenges without extensive infrastructure changes.

Key Highlights

• Value Proposition:
  • Crypto-Agility as demonstrated enables the administrator to change encryption algorithms and libraries on live systems without code changes or downtime which is a significant advantage over historical cryptography migration processes that can take years to complete.
  • The system does not have a pre-requisite of cryptographic discovery or inventory to be deployed, enabling users to begin deploying immediately to the highest risk encryption use cases.
• The solution does not require quantum technologies to remediate the quantum threat, however it is compatible with QRNG (Quantum Random Number Generation) and QKD (Quantum Key Distribution) technologies which are sometimes used in quantum-safe networking solutions.
• Advantage vs Classical: The solution is unique for the Quantum Applications Hub in that it presents a classical – not quantum - solution to the quantum computing threat to encryption. As such, it does not demonstrate advantage over classical algorithms, however the deployed post-quantum cryptographic algorithms are now standardized via the NIST competition to be quantum-resilient where their classical encryption counterparts are not.
• Availability: The solution is commercially available and meets Soc2 and FIPS Standards.

Disclaimer

This Demo is for demonstration purposes only and not for any other purposes. QuSecure, Inc. owns all right, title, and interest in this Demo. QuSecure, Inc. makes no representations or warranties regarding this Demo. To the extent permitted by law, QuSecure, Inc. disclaims all liability including direct and indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including loss of profits, arising out of or relating to the use of this Demo. The laws designated by the QuSecure, Inc. entity providing this Demo will govern without reference to conflicts of law principles.