XQ is a Zero Trust Data Security platform designed to protect sensitive information at the data layer—independent of devices, networks, or infrastructure. For drone programs, XQ enables mission-critical data (telemetry, video feeds, command and control signals, and payload data) to be cryptographically secured, policy-bound, and access-controlled in real time. This ensures that only authorized users and systems can access or act on data, even in contested, disconnected, or multi-domain environments. XQ integrates seamlessly into existing drone architectures, providing data-level protection, key localization, and granular governance without disrupting operations or performance. XQ’s partnership with Qrypto Trust brings pioneering Zero Trust PQC certificate exchange.
Capabilities– The collections streams from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can indicate the skew and zoom capabilities. The raw feeds need to be PQC encrypted to protect this information but the PQC is often too bulky to be a reasonable solution. Our optimization and acceleration minimizes latency making ZAP suitable for 8k streaming.
Collections– Compiled data often exceeds the classification of the host system when considered as one group of information/intelligence. Data at rest before exploitation or resultant products need to be secured as they are collected and produced.
Protection– The UAS itself requires protection from cyber-intrusion vectors that could compromise the integrity of the system, or in some demonstrated circumstances pirate the entire system. Unsecured data links and identity spoofing are risks that have been used on more than one occasion to our adversary’s advantage.
Here are several cyber security considerations.
- The obvious is cybersecurity with zero-trust, zero intermediary knowledge, and edge generated keys meaning the network/cloud/servers never handle the private key or “see” the encrypted contents as they exchange. This also applies to data at rest being protected.
- Meta tagging embeds the classification for control, supports hi/low and low/hi transfer mechanisms, and supersedes password/group permission compartmentalization. The largest and most damaging leaks have been from IT professionals who abused their credentials.
- Meta tagging also has a counter-intel role in providing information of unexpected access points and intrusion vectors for active prevention and follow on actions.
There is a risk reduction in information sharing via one-way bridges with applied filtering, PQC encrypted data transfers, and PQC encrypted data at rest that maintains data sovereignty through key controls in the case of partner nation political, military, or economic collapse/realignment.
PQC Visualizer
https://www.qryptotrust.com/pqc-visualization
Papers on secure drone communications we authored with the Idaho National Lab
https://www.zerotrustai.dev/zero-trust-uas
Frequently asked questions
What data needs to be protected in a drone or UAV program?
Drone programs need to protect telemetry, video feeds, command and control signals and payload data, along with collected data at rest before exploitation and the products created from it. XQ secures this mission-critical data at the data layer, cryptographically protecting it and binding it to access policy so that only authorized users and systems can access or act on it, even in contested, disconnected or multi-domain environments.
Can post-quantum encryption work for real-time UAV video streams?
Yes, post-quantum cryptography (PQC) can be practical for UAV video when it is optimized for speed, although raw PQC is often too bulky for streaming. XQ's optimization and acceleration minimizes latency, making its ZAP capability suitable for 8K streaming. XQ also partners with Qrypto Trust on Zero Trust PQC certificate exchange to protect raw collection feeds that could reveal a platform's skew and zoom capabilities.
How does XQ protect drones from data link and identity spoofing attacks?
XQ counters unsecured data links and identity spoofing with zero trust, zero intermediary knowledge and edge-generated keys, meaning the network, cloud and servers never handle the private key or see encrypted contents as they pass through. The same protection applies to data at rest. This reduces the risk of cyber intrusion that could compromise a UAS's integrity or, as has been demonstrated, allow an adversary to hijack the system.
How does meta tagging improve security for UAV intelligence data?
Meta tagging embeds classification directly into the data so it can drive access control, supporting high-to-low and low-to-high transfer mechanisms and superseding password or group-permission compartmentalization. In XQ's approach, tagging also helps counter insider abuse of credentials and serves a counter-intelligence role by revealing unexpected access points and intrusion vectors, which supports active prevention and follow-on actions.