Security

Security is the foundation of any cryptographic system. AFHE's security rests on MQ-hardness—a mathematical problem proven NP-hard and resistant to both classical and quantum attacks.

MQ-Hardness: The Security Foundation

What is MQ-Hardness?

The Multivariate Quadratic (MQ) problem asks: given a system of quadratic equations over a finite field, find a solution.

Why it's secure:

• NP-hard: No polynomial-time algorithm exists

• 40+ years of cryptanalysis: No practical attacks found

• Quantum resistant: Immune to Shor's algorithm

• Conservative choice: Well-studied mathematical foundation

Comparison with Other Assumptions

Security Basis	Classical Security	Quantum Security	Years Studied
MQ (AFHE)	Proven NP-hard	Resistant	40+ years
LWE (Zama)	Assumed hard	Assumed resistant	15 years
RSA	Well-established	Broken by Shor	45 years
ECDSA	Well-established	Broken by Shor	35 years

Security Parameters

AFHE targets conservative security margins:

• 128-bit classical security: 2^128 operations to break

• 128-bit quantum security: Resistant to known quantum algorithms

• Post-quantum ready: No migration needed when quantum computers arrive

Formal Verification

Cryptographic Proofs

• Reduction to MQ problem proven

• Security bounds formally established

• Peer-reviewed publications

Implementation Verification

• Formal verification of core algorithms

• Constant-time implementations (side-channel resistant)

• Memory-safe language usage (Rust)

Audit Status

Planned Audits (Q1 2026)

Auditor	Scope	Status	Report
Trail of Bits	Core crypto	Scheduled	Pending
Hacken	Smart contracts	Scheduled	Pending
Zellic	Full protocol	Scheduled	Pending

Ongoing Security Measures

• Bug bounty program: Up to $500,000 for critical vulnerabilities

• Continuous auditing: Regular reviews of new code

• Formal verification: Expanding coverage to all critical paths

Operational Security

Key Management

• User keys never leave client devices

• No trusted setup required

• Key derivation from standard seeds (BIP-39 compatible)

Network Security

• Decentralized coprocessor network

• Economic security through staking

• Slashing for misbehavior

Smart Contract Security

• Minimal on-chain footprint

• Upgradeable via governance timelock

• Emergency pause capability

Attack Resistance

Cryptographic Attacks

• ✅ Brute force: Computationally infeasible

• ✅ Algebraic attacks: No known efficient algorithms

• ✅ Side-channel: Constant-time implementations

Network Attacks

• ✅ Sybil: Stake-weighted participation

• ✅ Eclipse: Decentralized node discovery

• ✅ DoS: Rate limiting and fee markets

Economic Attacks

• ✅ 51% attacks: Slashing penalties exceed gains

• ✅ Griefing: Fee requirements prevent spam

• ✅ Front-running: Encrypted transactions prevent MEV

Security Philosophy

AFHE follows defense-in-depth principles:

1. Conservative cryptography: Proven mathematical foundations

2. Formal verification: Mathematical proofs of correctness

3. Multiple audits: Independent security reviews

4. Bug bounties: Incentivized vulnerability discovery

5. Gradual rollout: Staged deployment with increasing limits

Security isn't a feature—it's the foundation everything else is built on.