Understanding PacketQC

This section provides an introduction to PacketQC, explaining its purpose, how it works, and how it helps organisations strengthen their cryptographic security and prepare for the transition to post-quantum cryptography.

PacketQC’s Role in Post-Quantum Security

As quantum computing threatens widely used cryptographic algorithms, organisations must identify vulnerabilities and plan their transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). To support this transition, pQCee presents its Crypto-agile Defence-in-Depth (CADD) strategy, which integrates three layers of defence: understanding quantum threats, managing cryptographic vulnerabilities, and mitigating security weaknesses to achieve quantum-safe security.

_images/CADD.png

Fig. 1 pQCee’s Crypto-agile Defence-in-depth (CADD) strategy

Within this framework, PacketQC serves as a post-quantum cryptography governance tool, supporting organisations through three core functions:

  • Cryptographic Validation: Validates cryptographic mechanisms used in network communications and their associated assets.

  • Security Assessment: Assesses the security of discovered cryptographic mechanisms against classical and quantum computing threats.

  • Migration Support: Provides reports and Cryptographic Bills of Materials (CBOMs) to help organisations prioritise remediation and plan their transition to PQC.

How PacketQC works

PacketQC collects and analyses cryptographic information from network traffic and asset CBOMs to help organisations identify security vulnerabilities, assess potential risks, and plan their migration to post-quantum cryptography.

The process consists of four main capabilities, as illustrated below:

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  flowchart:
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title: How PacketQC Works
---
flowchart TD

    A["Network Traffic (PCAP / PCAPNG)"]

    B@{ img: "_static/usageImgs/usage-networkreport.png", label: "<b>1. Cryptographic Discovery</b><br/>Identifies network connections, <br/>cryptographic mechanisms and<br/> associated assets", pos: "b", h: 250, constraint: "on" }

    C@{ img: "_static/usageImgs/usage-securityassessment.png", label: "<b>3. Security Assessment</b><br/>Evaluates cryptographic mechanisms <br/> against configured security policies", pos: "b", h: 250, constraint: "on" }

    D@{ img: "_static/usageImgs/usage-assetviewinternal.png", label: "<b>2. Asset Management</b><br/>Maintains an inventory of assets <br/> and their associated CBOMs", pos: "b", h: 250, constraint: "on" }

    E["Manually Added Assets"]
    F["Uploaded Asset CBOMs"]

    G@{ img: "_static/usageImgs/usage-securityreport.png", label: "<b>4. Reporting</b><br/>Generates Security Reports to review <br/> findings and support remediation planning", pos: "b", h: 250, constraint: "on" }

    A --> B
    B --> C
    B --> D

    E --> D
    F --> D

    D --> C
    C --> G

    classDef input fill:#f4f6f8,stroke:#aaaaaa,color:#222222
    class A,E,F input

    classDef screenshot font-size:26px
    class B,C,D,G screenshot