QuantumGuard: Post-Quantum Security

Inspiration

In 2015, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) breach exposed sensitive records belonging to approximately 21.5 million people. This incident made me think about a critical question: what if data stolen today could be decrypted years later when quantum computers become powerful enough to threaten current cryptographic systems? This concern, known as Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL), inspired me to develop QuantumGuard to help organizations prepare for future quantum-related security risks.

What it does

QuantumGuard is a post-quantum security dashboard designed to help organizations assess cryptographic readiness. It brings together AWS integration, ML-DSA digital-signing key management, TLS readiness assessment, Cryptographic Bill of Materials (CBOM) inventory, and migration planning to help identify potential security gaps and prepare for quantum-resistant cryptography.

How we built it

We used Python and Flask for the backend, HTML, JavaScript, and CSS for the dashboard, and Boto3 to integrate with AWS services. The design includes AWS KMS key-management functionality, TLS readiness reporting, and a centralized interface for viewing cryptographic security information.

Challenges we ran into

One challenge was connecting the dashboard to backend APIs while maintaining a clear separation between simulated assessment data and real AWS information. Understanding cloud credentials, permissions, cryptographic algorithms, and service compatibility also required careful attention.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We brought several important post-quantum security concepts into one dashboard. QuantumGuard provides a foundation for exploring cryptographic asset visibility, AWS key management, TLS readiness, and migration planning through a single interface.

What we learned

We learned how quantum computing could affect existing cryptographic systems, why long-lived sensitive information needs forward-looking protection, and how cloud services and web technologies can support cryptographic readiness assessments. We also learned the importance of validating security findings against real infrastructure.

What's next for QuantumGuard: Post-Quantum Security

Our next goal is to integrate live AWS resource discovery, automate cryptographic inventory, improve TLS configuration assessments, and provide prioritized migration recommendations. We also plan to expand reporting and compliance support so organizations can prepare for the transition to post-quantum cryptography with greater confidence.

Built With

• amazon-web-services
• aws-kms
• boto3
• cryptography
• css
• cybersecurity
• flask
• html
• javascript
• ml-dsa
• post-quantum-cryptography
• python
• tailwind-css
• tls-1.3