Qtonic Quantum’s QShield completed a 72-hour endurance run of its post-quantum encryption software with a perfect record: 4,107 successful checks and zero failures, the company says. The software-only solution, designed to protect packet-level traffic, ran continuously on standard Linux hosts without requiring new hardware.
QShield utilizes ML-KEM-1024 and ML-DSA-87, the highest parameter sets defined by NIST’s post-quantum standards and CNSA 2.0 for national security systems, to establish and authenticate keys fully controlled by the customer. The run began at 04:28:48 UTC on September 13, 2026, and ended at 04:29:04 UTC on September 16, 2026, demonstrating a remarkably stable implementation designed to mitigate future decryption of intercepted data.
QShield Achieves 72-Hour Endurance With Zero Failures
QShield’s endurance run verified 4,107 successful checks over 72 hours, demonstrating a stable implementation of post-quantum cryptography without a single failure or packet loss during continuous operation. The software, designed for packet-level traffic protection, ran on standard Linux hosts within Amazon Web Services availability zones in Oregon, establishing keys with ML-KEM-1024 and authenticating endpoints using ML-DSA-87 digital signatures. This configuration eliminates reliance on vulnerable RSA or elliptic-curve key exchange methods, addressing the risk of future decryption by quantum computers.
Qtonic Quantum reports that both QShield processes utilized the same build throughout the entire run, requiring zero restarts, and the longest interval between checks did not exceed 64 seconds. This sustained performance highlights the software’s reliability under consistent operational demands. QShield requires no new hardware investments, a key advantage for organizations seeking to transition to post-quantum security without significant infrastructure overhauls.
Post-Quantum, trading as PQ Solutions Limited, was founded in 2009 by Andersen Cheng and has focused on developing practical migration tools for organizations moving away from RSA and elliptic curve cryptography. The company was selected in July 2024 for the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence migration to post-quantum cryptography project at NIST, collaborating with vendors on real-world deployment strategies.
Qtonic Quantum states that anyone can rerun the verifier and check every file’s hash, providing access to run logs, state receipts, and a manifest at qtonicquantum. com/proof-center/qshield-endurance, allowing independent verification of the results. The QShield build’s SHA-256 hashes are also publicly available for scrutiny.
ML-KEM-1024 & ML-DSA-87 Secure Packet-Level Encryption in QShield
QShield’s implementation utilizes ML-KEM-1024 and ML-DSA-87, exceeding the baseline requirements of NIST’s post-quantum standardization efforts and aligning with the more stringent CNSA 2. 0 parameters for national security applications. This commitment to the highest parameter sets demonstrates a proactive approach to long-term security, anticipating increasingly sophisticated threats beyond current quantum computing capabilities. The selection of these specific algorithms reflects a design prioritizing resilience against both known and future attacks, a critical consideration for sustained data protection.
The software’s architecture eschews reliance on pre-shared keys or symmetric key distribution methods, instead establishing cryptographic bonds solely through post-quantum asymmetric cryptography. This design choice eliminates a common vulnerability point in traditional systems, where compromised shared secrets can lead to widespread data breaches. QShield operates without a fallback to classical key exchange, a deliberate decision to avoid the inherent weaknesses of RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography in a post-quantum world.
Complete key control remains with the organization deploying QShield, ensuring data sovereignty and minimizing potential exposure. Qtonic Quantum states, “Data intercepted today can be stored and decrypted later, once quantum computers can break today’s public-key cryptography,” emphasizing the proactive mitigation of harvest-now-decrypt-later attacks. This background positions the company as a long-term player in the post-quantum cryptography landscape, offering both software and consulting services to organizations preparing for the quantum era.
See today’s quantum computing news on Quantum Zeitgeist for the latest breakthroughs in qubits, hardware, algorithms, and industry deals.
