What Q‑CIPHER‑314 delivers
A secure cryptographic gateway that sits between your applications, APIs, and external clients — transparently encrypting, authenticating, and monitoring all traffic in real time with NIST-approved post-quantum algorithms.
Hybrid PQC Authentication
Multi-factor authentication combining classical credentials with ML-DSA-65 digital certificates. Challenge-response protocol using ML-KEM-768 key encapsulation ensures quantum-resistant identity verification at every login.
Quantum-Safe Encrypted Messaging
End-to-end encrypted messaging where each message is encrypted with AES-GCM, the symmetric key is wrapped via ML-KEM-768, and the entire payload is signed with ML-DSA-65 for integrity and non-repudiation.
Zero-Trust Architecture
Every request is validated independently: PQC session tokens with short expiration, per-endpoint identity verification, no implicit trust in the client, and encrypted-at-rest persistence. Aligned with NIST SP 800-207.
Layered security architecture
Q‑CIPHER‑314 implements a three-tier architecture where every layer enforces cryptographic controls independently. Even if TLS is compromised in the future, all sensitive data remains protected by post-quantum encryption layers.
Frontend Application
PQC Login · Secure Dashboard · Encrypted Messaging UI
Q‑CIPHER‑314 Gateway
PQC Session Validation · KEM Challenge Issuance · Hybrid Token Generation · Search & Messaging APIs
Encrypted Data Store
AES-GCM Encryption at Rest · Sensitive Data · PQC-Wrapped Keys
Full encryption chain — phase by phase
Every operation in Q‑CIPHER‑314 is protected by a specific cryptographic algorithm. CC = Classical Cryptography, PQC = Post-Quantum, Hybrid = Both layers combined.
| Phase | Algorithm | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Login access | TLS 1.3 | Establishes classical HTTPS channel |
| Certificate loading | ML-DSA-65 | Validates PQC public key issued by CA |
| Credentials transport | HTTPS TLS 1.3 | Username/password over encrypted tunnel |
| Challenge request | ML-KEM-768 | Client requests quantum-resistant challenge |
| Challenge issuance | ML-KEM-768 | Backend generates PQC-encrypted challenge |
| Certificate validation | ML-DSA-65 | CA verifies certificate authenticity |
| Session token generation | AES-GCM + ML-KEM-768 | Hybrid token: AES for speed, PQC for future safety |
| Dashboard redirect | HTTPS | Token + user transmitted securely |
| Token validation | AES-GCM | Backend verifies integrity and origin |
| Data queries | TLS 1.3 | Search queries encrypted in transit |
| Secure message send | AES-GCM + ML-KEM-768 | Message encrypted with hybrid PQC |
| Message signature | ML-DSA-65 | Quantum-safe integrity and non-repudiation |
| Storage at rest | AES-GCM | Messages stored encrypted in backend |
| Message retrieval | ML-KEM-768 + AES-GCM | Backend decrypts in memory before delivery |
Step-by-step security lifecycle
From initial login through message delivery, every step is protected by layered cryptography. The flow progresses through four phases, each adding a security guarantee.
1. TLS 1.3 channel established
Client connects via HTTPS. Login page loads fields for username, password, and ML-DSA-65 certificate (JSON).
2. PQC challenge requested
Frontend sends GET /login with user ID. Backend responds with ML-KEM-768 challenge, server public key, and KEM parameters.
3. Certificate validated
Backend verifies ML-DSA-65 certificate: CA authority, revocation status, and format validity.
4. Hybrid session token issued
Backend generates AES-GCM token wrapped via ML-KEM-768 encapsulation. Token is quantum-safe from birth.
5. Dashboard access validated
Frontend redirects to /dashboard with session token. Backend independently verifies: token validity, user match, expiration, and HTTPS origin.
6. Encrypted data queries
Backend decrypts stored data with AES-GCM internally. Only exact query results are returned. No sensitive data is exposed beyond the response scope. All queries travel under TLS 1.3.
7. Message composed and encrypted
A random AES-GCM key is generated per message. The message is encrypted with AES-GCM, then the symmetric key is wrapped via ML-KEM-768.
8. Message signed
The entire payload is signed with ML-DSA-65, providing quantum-safe integrity, non-repudiation, and tamper detection.
9. Stored encrypted at rest
Backend persists: AES-GCM ciphertext, KEM-wrapped key, ML-DSA signature, and metadata (sender, recipient, timestamp).
10. Retrieval and decryption
On read: backend retrieves encrypted message, unwraps AES key via ML-KEM-768, decrypts in memory, validates ML-DSA signature, and delivers via TLS.
Protection against harvest-now-decrypt-later
The quantum threat
Adversaries with access to future quantum computers could break RSA and ECC encryption, decrypting data intercepted today. This "harvest-now, decrypt-later" strategy threatens every organization transmitting sensitive data over classical encryption.
Q‑CIPHER‑314's defense
All sensitive data travels encapsulated with post-quantum cryptography — even though TLS 1.3 handles transport. If TLS is compromised by a future quantum adversary, the inner PQC layer remains intact. Confidentiality is guaranteed today and tomorrow.
Q‑CIPHER‑314 v3.0 also enables transfer of PDFs and files encrypted with NIST-approved post-quantum technology. Each file is encapsulated in AES-GCM and wrapped via ML-KEM-768, delivering confidentiality that resists store-now-decrypt-later attacks.
NIST-approved cryptographic stack
Q‑CIPHER‑314 exclusively uses algorithms standardized or approved by NIST for post-quantum readiness: