QuantumShield

Landing Page
Account Creation
Encrypting and sending a PDF
Previously sent files
Received Files (Able to be decrypted)

Inspiration

Quantum computing is exciting because it can solve problems far beyond the reach of today’s computers, with potential breakthroughs in AI, cryptography, and science; thanks to the unique powers of quantum physics. However, quantum computers also have dangerously powerful negative applications; more prominently, the brute forcing of passwords and encryption keys. We wanted to see if we could find a solution to this issue.

What it does

We created QuantumShield with the above issue in mind: providing a way for users to protect their documents and sensitive personal data from quantum computing based attacks as it's sent to other devices. Our platform secures file transfers using AES-GCM for fast, authenticated encryption, with symmetric keys established via Kyber512, a quantum-secure key encapsulation mechanism. To ensure file integrity and authenticity, each file is also digitally signed using Dilithium2, protecting users from tampering during transit or storage.

How we built it

QuantumShield was built with a Nextjs frontend with Tailwind Css styling. We used the a Python wrapper on the liboqs (Open Quantum Safe) library to run the algorithms for the Post Quantum Cryptography. FastAPI was used to make a RestAPI for end to end connection and SQLite was used to store user data.

Challenges we ran into

Quantum is hard. So, we spent a large chunk of time researching how quantum computers hack encryption algorithms and how different encryption techniques can be used to minimize the power of a quantum computer engine. Moreover, since we developed our front and backends separately, it took a decent amount of time to connect the two ends.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Creating a working MVP, staying up until 6am, getting 4ths from the shawarma truck

What we learned

How to use liboqs to create encryption schemes
How quantum computers brute force problems through sheer processing power
How to strategize from a venture scalability standpoint

What's next for QuantumShield

QuantumShield's next step is to be able to encrypt more diverse ranges of files (ex: code files). Additionally, we aim to evolve the platform into a robust API to allow businesses and other developers to integrate this secure file transfer into their systems. Finally, with access to greater technologies like an actual quantum computer, we could implement a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocol to replace Kyber512 or scale QuantumShield's encryption output. Overall, the future of QuantumShield is, much like Schrödinger’s Cat—uncertain, but full of potential.