Architecture

Technology Deep Dive

PhoenixSig is not another PQC signature. It's a signing operating system that combines post-quantum algorithms, deterministic state evolution, and hardware-backed recovery into a system designed to survive breach.

NIST FIPS 204 & 205
Post-Quantum Cryptography
Post-Compromise Security
Peer-Reviewed Research

Three mandatory layers

PhoenixSig treats every signature as a temporary state snapshot — not a permanent operation. Remove any layer, and the security model breaks.

LAYER 3 — Phoenix Injection (PCS) VaultKey (TEE) → HKDF refresh → Hardware entropy → Post-Compromise Security LAYER 2 — DyLWE Deterministic Core Module ring R_q → LWR rounding → Forward-only evolution → Epoch key derivation LAYER 1 — PQC Signing Engine ML-DSA (FIPS 204, lattice) + SLH-DSA (FIPS 205, hash-based) → DualSign → Merkle commitment

PQC Signing Engine

ML-DSA (FIPS 204)

Module-Lattice Digital Signature Algorithm. Fast signing (~2ms), compact signatures. Lattice-based security. Primary signer for performance-critical operations.

SLH-DSA (FIPS 205)

Stateless Hash-based Digital Signature Algorithm. Conservative security from hash functions only. Larger signatures but minimal cryptographic assumptions. Secondary signer for maximum assurance.

Merkle Key Commitment

All epoch public keys committed to a Merkle tree. Single root hash. O(log n) verification for any epoch. Compact proof that a key was legitimately generated by the system.

DyLWE Deterministic Core

Module Ring Operations

DyLWE operates on R_q = Z_q[X]/(X^N+1). Learning With Rounding provides deterministic noise through rounding operations. No sampling, no external randomness in the evolution step.

Epoch Key Derivation

seed_epoch = HKDF(VaultKey ∥ sigma ∥ ctx). Every signing key is derived from hardware secret + evolving state + operation context. Deterministic, auditable, but unpredictable without VaultKey.

Forward-Only State

State (sigma, epoch, counter) only moves forward. No rollback possible. Anti-rollback enforced by monotonic counters and state hash chains.

Phoenix Injection — Post-Compromise Security

No PCS without new entropy after compromise. DyLWE alone is not sufficient. Epoch keys alone are not sufficient. Phoenix Injection is mandatory.

Phoenix Refresh

VaultKey ← HKDF(VaultKey ∥ new_secret, "phoenix"). After refresh, every future seed changes completely. An attacker with full RAM + storage snapshot before refresh has zero knowledge of future keys.

Quarantine Protocol

On reboot, suspected compromise, or sync loss: quarantine activates. No real payloads signed. Only pings and dummy operations. System waits for hardware-confirmed entropy injection before resuming.

GenericPCSWrapper & Algorithm Agility

One Day Integration

GenericPCSWrapper provides an algorithm-agnostic interface. Any PQC algorithm that implements Sign(sk, msg) → sig and Verify(pk, msg, sig) → bool can be wrapped in PCS guarantees within one day.

KUSS Framework

Key Update Security Semantics — the formal verification framework. 100% validation pass rate. Mathematical proof that PCS properties hold across algorithm changes.

FormalPCSModel

Mathematical proof framework validating security properties: forward secrecy, post-compromise recovery, epoch isolation, state evolution correctness.

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