Quantum Resistant Cryptography (QRC)

Keeper Commander supports hybrid post-quantum encryption to protect API communications against future quantum computing threats.

Overview

QRC enhances Keeper's API security by combining traditional elliptic curve cryptography (ECDH-P256) with NIST-standardized post-quantum ML-KEM-1024 (Module-Lattice-based Key Encapsulation Mechanism). This hybrid approach ensures both current security and future quantum resistance.

When QRC is enabled, all API requests from Commander use a dual-layer encryption scheme that protects data even if one cryptographic algorithm is compromised.

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Python Version	3.11 or higher
Package	keeper-mlkem (installed automatically)

QRC is automatically enabled when requirements are met. No additional configuration is needed.

How It Works

When Commander makes an API request with QRC enabled:

1. ECDH Key Exchange: Commander generates an ephemeral EC key pair and performs ECDH with the server's public key

2. ML-KEM Encapsulation: Commander encapsulates a shared secret using the server's ML-KEM-1024 public key

3. Key Derivation: Both secrets are combined using HKDF-SHA256 to derive an AES-256 key

4. Encryption: The transmission key is encrypted with AES-GCM using the derived key

Fallback Behavior

Commander automatically falls back to standard EC encryption when:

• Python version is below 3.11

• The keeper-mlkem package is not installed

• Any QRC-related error occurs during encryption

All fallbacks are transparent to the user—connections continue without interruption.

Verifying QRC Status

To verify QRC is active, enable debug logging:

keeper shell --debug

When QRC is active, you will see:

Using QRC hybrid encryption (ML-KEM key ID: 136, EC key ID: 10)
ECDH completed: 32 byte shared secret
ML-KEM-1024 completed: 32 byte secret, 1568 byte encapsulation
HKDF completed: derived 32 byte AES key
AES-GCM completed: 60 byte ciphertext

Security Benefits

Property	Description
Quantum Resistance	ML-KEM-1024 protects against attacks from future quantum computers using Shor's algorithm
Hybrid Defense	If either ML-KEM or ECDH is compromised in the future, the other algorithm still protects data
NIST Standardized	ML-KEM is NIST FIPS 203 certified, ensuring rigorous security validation
Constant-Time Operations	C extension implementation avoids timing side-channel attacks
AES-256-GCM Encryption	Authenticated encryption provides both confidentiality and integrity