Key Takeaways
- PQShield has completed a rigorous, independent security evaluation of its ML-DSA implementation
- The assessment validates the strength of PQShield’s quantum safe security countermeasures
- Keysight Technologies conducted extensive Side Channel Analysis (SCA) testing
- No exploitable leakage was detected, even after analysis of over 2 million traces
- The results support PQShield’s roadmap toward high-assurance security certifications
Building confidence in post-quantum cryptography with PQShield and Keysight
Developing trusted implementations of quantum-safe cryptography involves some significant considerations, especially when it comes to building hardware and software solutions that are secure against real-world attacks. These challenges include the complexity of deploying post-quantum algorithms in a crypto-agile ecosystem, the constraints on internal memory and resources, and the need to provide effective countermeasures against physical attacks such as Side Channel Analysis (SCA) and Fault Injection Attack (FIA).
These practical challenges are central to delivering meaningful quantum safe security, not just in theory, but in real-world deployments.
These considerations are at the heart of PQShield’s mission – building robust state-of-the-art implementations of post-quantum cryptography that help upgrade the world’s technology supply chain. It’s important that the resilience of our products is verified independently, and that’s why we’re pleased to announce the successful completion of a rigorous third-party security evaluation of our ML-DSA implementation.
Keysight’s evaluation
The independent assessment was conducted by Keysight Technologies Device Security Lab in the the Netherlands, a world-renowned testing laboratory. It underscores PQShield’s commitment to delivering highly secure, resilient, quantum-safe solutions, and it marks an important stepping stone for PQShield’s products towards high-assurance security compliance requirements (Common Criteria and PSA CertifiedTM). This complements and validates our own extensive in-house research and testing efforts.
This external validation complements PQShield’s extensive in-house research and testing, providing added confidence in the strength of its quantum safe security approach.
Focus on side-channel resistance
The in-depth evaluation focused on vulnerability analysis and specifically SCA on the target implementation. It required hundreds of hours of effort from expert evaluators.
We’re pleased to say that the findings from Keysight validate the advanced security features embedded in PQShield’s products, while also highlighting Keysight’s exceptional capabilities in cutting-edge security testing.
Key highlights of PQShield’s quantum-safe security: PQPlatform
PQShield’s ML-DSA implementation, a sophisticated hardware-software co-design that’s used across the PQPlatform family of products, demonstrates strong resistance against advanced attack methodologies. The core polynomial multiplication operation, a crucial element of ML-DSA, is specifically engineered with a two-share masking scheme to counter side-channel threats.
Keysight’s efforts demonstrate the effectiveness of the PQShield’s countermeasures, even with the extensive testing of 2 million traces:
- No first-order power side-channel leakage related to key material in the hardened polynomial multiplication was detected
- No exploitation path for any higher-order leakage was detected
Global expertise and actionable insight
This evaluation showcases Keysight’s unparalleled expertise, conducted at its facilities in Delft (Netherlands) and San Francisco (CA, USA). It involved their proprietary methodologies for SCA as well as a rigorous evaluation approach. Keysight delivered a detailed and actionable assessment.
Strengthening trust in quantum safe security
The report, complete with raw data comparisons and analysis, empowers PQShield to assess our security posture objectively, and provide trust in our solutions. What’s more, this collaboration exemplifies PQShield’s dedication to maintaining the highest security standards in the evolving landscape of quantum computing, backed by Keysight’s independent and expert validation.
Learn more
To gain deeper insight into the robust security of PQShield’s quantum-safe implementations, contact PQShield to request access to the full security evaluation report and learn how its approach to quantum safe security can support your organisation’s post-quantum readiness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do we mean by quantum safe security, and why does it matter?
When we talk about quantum safe security, we mean cryptographic approaches designed to remain secure even as quantum computing advances. Many of today’s encryption methods could eventually be broken by quantum algorithms, putting sensitive data and critical systems at risk.
By focusing on quantum safe security now, we help organisations protect information not just for today, but for the long term.
How do we support quantum safe security at PQShield?
At PQShield, we specialise in post-quantum cryptography and build practical solutions that can be deployed in real-world environments. We focus on delivering secure, efficient implementations that are resistant to both mathematical and physical attacks.
Our goal is to help organisations transition confidently to quantum safe security across hardware, software, and cloud environments.
What types of quantum-safe solutions do we provide?
We provide a range of post-quantum cryptography solutions designed for embedded systems, software applications, and secure hardware platforms. This includes cryptographic libraries, hardware acceleration components, and integrated platform-level implementations.
All of our solutions are designed to make it easier to embed quantum safe security into existing and next-generation systems.
How do we help organisations prepare for quantum safe security today?
We help organisations start by understanding where cryptography is used across their systems and identifying areas of long-term risk. From there, we support the adoption of crypto-agile strategies and the testing of post-quantum algorithms in real-world environments.
Our expertise and tooling are aligned with emerging international standards, helping teams take practical steps toward quantum safe security.
How do we support security assurance and compliance requirements?
We design our implementations with high-assurance security goals in mind and align them with recognised standards and certification frameworks.
Independent evaluations and third-party testing help demonstrate the robustness of our quantum safe security solutions, providing additional confidence for organisations operating in regulated or high-risk environments.