Independent Product Review Highlights Phio TX’s Out-of-Band Key Distribution, Crypto-Agility, and Forward Secrecy as Critical Capabilities for Commercial Enterprises and Government Agencies
BETHESDA, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Quantum XChange, a leading provider of quantum-safe encryption solutions, today announced that the SANS Institute has completed an independent hands-on evaluation of its Phio TX® key distribution platform. The SANS Institute’s review confirms Phio TX’s effectiveness in preparing organizations for the post-quantum era, validating the solution’s unique out-of-band key delivery architecture, crypto-agility, and use of ephemeral keys to achieve forward secrecy.
The report underscores the urgency for organizations to act now against the quantum computing threat, as well as the more urgent attack vector known as Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL), and identifies Phio TX as a proven, future-ready solution that meets this challenge head-on.
In its evaluation, the SANS Institute found that Phio TX provided immediate risk reduction against potential quantum attacks by delivering encryption keys on a separate secure channel, apart from the data flow. This out-of-band dual-channel approach removes the single point of failure in traditional key exchanges, meaning an eavesdropper would need to compromise two independent paths to decrypt any communication – an almost impossible feat. Ephemeral key technology further ensures that keys are generated just-in-time, used once, then instantly destroyed, giving every session automatic forward secrecy and leaving nothing for attackers to steal later.
The SANS review also noted Phio TX’s crypto-agility, observing that the platform can swap between post-quantum encryption algorithms on the fly with zero downtime or impact on application performance. These capabilities position Phio TX as a “force multiplier” for existing encryption systems, allowing organizations to augment their current VPN/TLS networks with quantum-safe protection without costly rip-and-replace upgrades.
“After extensive analysis and hands-on testing, we conclude that Phio TX is a forward-looking and technically elegant solution for organizations preparing for the post-quantum era,” said Charles Goldner, Senior Technical Engineer at SANS Institute, who led the independent review. “It delivered substantial security improvements against today’s threats, like stolen keys and HNDL espionage and positions organizations to adopt tomorrow’s PQC algorithms seamlessly. Phio TX’s use of out-of-band, ephemeral keys means even advanced attackers are thwarted, no single compromised key will breach your data.”
The SANS Institute evaluation highlighted several key findings and advantages of Phio TX for enterprises and government agencies facing quantum-induced risks:
- Immediate Quantum Risk Mitigation: By transmitting encryption keys over an out-of-band channel, Phio TX neutralizes the HNDL risk. Even if an adversary harvest encrypted data today, they cannot decrypt it later without also obtaining the one-time keys that Phio TX sends separately – an extraordinarily difficult task.
- Crypto-Agility and Future-Proofing: Phio TX is built to be algorithm-agnostic and crypto-agile. In SANS’s hands-on test, the team easily rotated between NIST-recommended post-quantum algorithms (like ML-KEM, Classic McEliece, HQC) on the fly with no downtime.
- Seamless Integration & Interoperability: The evaluation confirmed Phio TX’s overlay architecture integrates with existing infrastructure without performance impact.
- Scalability and Performance: Phio TX’s mesh-based key distribution “hive” supports point-to-multipoint key delivery, allowing one central node to supply unique keys to hundreds of endpoints simultaneously.
- Compliance and Forward Secrecy by Design: Phio TX aligns with emerging government mandates and standards for cryptographic transition.
“We are thrilled to receive this validation from the SANS Institute, which affirms the quantum-readiness of Phio TX at a critical time for cybersecurity,” said Eddy Zervigon, CEO at Quantum XChange. “Global security leaders know that Q-day is approaching – waiting until quantum computers arrive is not an option when adversaries are harvesting data now. SANS’s independent review confirms that Phio TX gives organizations an immediate and practical defense against the quantum threat, all while integrating easily into their existing infrastructure.”
To further educate the community, SANS Institute and Quantum XChange will co-host a webinar on Dec. 4, 2025, where SANS experts will walk through the Phio TX test findings and best practices for achieving crypto-agility in the face of quantum threats. Register to attend.
The full SANS Institute review report, titled “Quantum-Ready Security: A Phased Path Toward Key Distribution Resilience,” is available for download, offering detailed insights for organizations planning their quantum security roadmaps.
About Quantum XChange
Quantum XChange protects confidential and classified data from advances in computing and everyday cybersecurity risks. Its award-winning key management platform, Phio TX empowers organizations to bring existing IT infrastructures into the post-quantum era easily and affordably with an innovative, secure, and flexible architecture. Commercial enterprises and government agencies can leverage trusted standards for quantum-safe protection, embrace crypto-agility, and establish a cryptographic center of excellence with no network or application downtime and no performance degradation. To learn more visit QuantumXC.com.
About SANS Institute
The SANS Institute is the world’s leading organization for cybersecurity training, certifications, and research. Established in 1989, SANS provides intensive, hands-on courses taught by expert practitioners, and maintains the highly regarded Internet Storm Center and SANS Reading Room for community resources. SANS evaluates emerging security solutions through independent research programs, helping to validate technologies that address the latest cyber threats. The SANS Solutions Forum and analyst review program deliver unbiased, real-world insights for the cybersecurity community. For more information, visit sans.org.
Contacts
Media Contact:
Antonio Sanchez
Chief Strategy Officer
Quantum Xchange
[email protected]
