Company’s Crypto-Diverse Solution Enables Organizations to Easily and Affordably Migrate Legacy Encryption to NIST-Backed PQCs with No Network Downtime or Interruptions
BETHESDA, Md. – July 5, 2022 – Quantum Xchange today announced its crypto-diverse key delivery system, Phio Trusted Xchange (TX), supports all final quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms, as well as alternates, announced today by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST). The four selected encryption algorithms will become part of NIST’s post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) standard, expected to be finalized by 2024.
In addition to its crypto agility and quantum safe, out-of-band symmetric key delivery capabilities, Phio TX from Quantum Xchange offers a robust feature set that overcomes the everyday vulnerabilities introduced by common encryption practices. This includes the lack of key rotation of pre-shared keys; weak entropy sources leading to certificate collisions; human risk factors including poor implementation or programming errors and a single trusted user responsible for keys; and reliance on public key encryption (PKE) – where key generation and key delivery travel down the same transmission tunnel with the data. An attacker needs only to compromise a single weak link to retrieve all the secret information.
The final PQC selection process by NIST is only the beginning of this multiyear cryptographic transition that will require nearly every organization in the world to replace their classic encryption with quantum-safe solutions. Quantum Xchange has built a groundbreaking technology overlay that works with an organization’s existing encryption environment, is vendor agnostic and platform independent, operates across any TCP/IP connection, and embraces the concept of crypto-diversification.
The Case for Crypto Diversification
While crypto-agility is widely understood and practiced as a reactionary measure to the quantum threat and harvesting attacks, crypto-diversification is the idea that organizations should proactively deploy a mix of asymmetric encryption, symmetric encryption, and various quantum-based methods, i.e., PQCs, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), and Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) in their crypto environments. Further complexity and randomness can be achieved by sending a second key, out-of-band, down a separate quantum-protected tunnel and mesh network. With Phio TX, an attacker must now know that two keys are in play – when, where, and how they are paired. A near impossible feat, even for a quantum computer. For further explanation on the benefits of crypto-diversification, visit the recent Dark Reading opinion piece by Vince Berk, Chief Strategy Officer at Quantum Xchange.
Effortlessly Plugs into Your Existing Crypto Infrastructure for Immediate Quantum Safety
Enterprise proven and FIPS validated, Phio TX can be deployed today with very little lift, outlay, or the need to place new technology in the traffic path. Built for resiliency, the next-generation key delivery architecture gives users the peace-of-mind knowing their network communications infrastructure and data links are stronger today and future-proof from quantum attack. Here’s how:
- Phio TX does not require the replacement of existing algorithms, equipment, or network infrastructure.
- Network performance or reliability is not degraded in any way.
- It works over any TCP/IP connection or network media type to deliver quantum-enhanced ephemeral key pairs on-demand, anywhere in the world.
- If desired, customers can begin with PQC then eventually add QKD with no changes needed to the underlying infrastructure, no fiber required, and no limitations on key delivery.
- Phio TX offers full accountability and auditability for both keys and data in motion. Users receive a complete view into when keys are exchanged between devices and how.
“Today is a pivotal day for quantum security and the official start of the greatest crypto migration in the history of computing. Because quantum computers are not yet commercially available to test these algorithms in real-word settings, unknowns and uncertainties persist,” said Eddy Zervigon, CEO of Quantum Xchange. “As an industry, we make a lot of educated assumptions that are often proved wrong. Look no further than the breaking of Rainbow – the most peer reviewed PQC candidate algorithm up until it was broken in early 2022. We believe crypto-diversification is needed to augment NIST’s crypto-agile recommendations and eliminate our reliance on a single point of failure. Phio TX is an ideal solution for buyers who seek simple, affordable, and highly scalable solutions to make their encryption infrastructure, and investment, future proof.”
For more on how to prepare your organization for a multiyear, post-quantum transition, download the eBook, The Great Crypto Migration.
About Quantum Xchange
Quantum Xchange gives commercial enterprises and government agencies the ultimate solution for protecting data today and in the quantum future. Its award-winning crypto-diverse key delivery system, Phio Trusted Xchange (TX), mixes asymmetric, symmetric, and quantum-based encryption methods, i.e., post-quantum crypto (PQC), Quantum Random Number Generated (QRNG) keys, and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), sent out-of-band down a separate quantum-protected tunnel and mesh network. Decoupling key generation and delivery from data transmissions allows organizations to practice crypto-agility with no network interruptions while experiencing the cost-benefits of making their existing crypto environment immediately quantum-safe. To learn more about future-proofing your data from whatever threat awaits, visit QuantumXC.com or follow us on Twitter @Quantum_Xchange #BeQuantumSafe #BeCryptoDiverse.
