Architecture

QECNet operates as a distributed coordination mesh with sovereign control boundaries. Each deployment instance maintains cryptographic autonomy while participating in a federated trust topology.

CONTENTS

--System Overview --Node Hierarchy --Sovereign Control Boundaries --Data Flow Architecture --Decision Engine Pipeline --Topology Diagram

System Overview

The platform is composed of five operational layers, each maintaining independent cryptographic state while coordinating through a quantum key distribution mesh. All inter-layer communication is encrypted at the transport level using post-quantum key exchange protocols.

The architecture enforces a strict separation between the control plane (decision engine, key management, policy enforcement) and the data plane (event ingestion, telemetry, network topology). This separation ensures that compromise of data-layer components cannot propagate to control-layer functions without triggering autonomous isolation protocols.

LAYER COMPOSITION

HARDWARE TRUST

Physical key stores, HSM integration, tamper-evident enclosures

CRYPTOGRAPHIC CORE

QKD engine, key lifecycle management, entropy sources

NETWORK FABRIC

Encrypted mesh topology, node discovery, route optimization

DECISION ENGINE

Threat correlation, autonomous response, policy enforcement

COMMAND INTERFACE

Operational dashboard, event visualization, manual overrides

Node Hierarchy

Nodes are classified by function and trust level. Each node type operates within defined cryptographic boundaries and communicates only through authenticated channels. Node status is continuously evaluated by the decision engine.

GRID

Power grid monitoring and control. Critical infrastructure nodes with highest isolation priority.

LNG

Liquefied natural gas terminal systems. Energy supply chain monitoring and safety interlocks.

ACCESS

Identity and access control systems. Authentication infrastructure and credential management.

COMMS

Communication relay nodes. Encrypted channel management and signal routing.

DEFENSE

Active defense systems. Threat containment, node isolation, and autonomous countermeasures.

NODE STATE MACHINE

NOMINAL ──[threat_signal]──> WARNING
WARNING ──[pattern_match]──> CRITICAL
CRITICAL ──[auto_response]──> ISOLATED
ISOLATED ──[key_rotation]───> NOMINAL  (requires manual approval)

State transitions are logged to the immutable audit chain.
Reverse transitions from ISOLATED require operator intervention
when assisted mode is enabled.

Sovereign Control Boundaries

QECNet enforces cryptographic sovereignty at each deployment boundary. No external entity — including the platform vendor — can access, modify, or observe operations within a sovereign boundary without explicit key exchange authorization.

Sovereign boundaries are defined by key distribution zones. Each zone maintains its own entropy source, key rotation schedule, and trust policy. Cross-boundary communication requires mutual authentication through the QKD mesh.

SOVEREIGNTY GUARANTEE

All cryptographic material is generated, stored, and destroyed within the sovereign boundary. Key material never traverses boundary edges in plaintext. The sovereign hub maintains a hardware-rooted trust anchor that cannot be remotely provisioned.

Data Flow Architecture

Event data flows through a multi-stage processing pipeline. Each stage applies cryptographic verification, threat classification, and policy evaluation before forwarding to the next stage.

INGESTION PIPELINE

┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐
│   TELEMETRY  │────>│  NORMALIZER  │────>│  CLASSIFIER  │
│   INGRESS    │     │  + VALIDATOR │     │  (ML/RULES)  │
└──────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └──────┬───────┘
                                                  │
                     ┌──────────────┐     ┌───────┴──────┐
                     │   DECISION   │<────│  CORRELATOR  │
                     │   ENGINE     │     │  (TEMPORAL)  │
                     └──────┬───────┘     └──────────────┘
                            │
               ┌────────────┼────────────┐
               │            │            │
        ┌──────┴─────┐ ┌───┴───┐ ┌──────┴──────┐
        │  AUTONOMIC │ │ AUDIT │ │  COMMAND     │
        │  RESPONSE  │ │ LOG   │ │  INTERFACE   │
        └────────────┘ └───────┘ └─────────────┘

Decision Engine Pipeline

The decision engine processes classified threat signals through a six-phase pipeline. Each phase applies increasingly specific analysis and generates authorization decisions for autonomous response actions.

SIGNAL DETECTED

Initial anomaly detection triggers. Raw telemetry evaluated against baseline thresholds. Sub-second latency requirement.

PATTERN CONFIRMED

Temporal correlation identifies recurring patterns. Cross-references against known attack signatures and behavioral models.

THREAT CLASSIFIED

Classification engine assigns threat category, severity, and attribution confidence. Determines response escalation level.

RESPONSE AUTHORIZED

Policy engine evaluates classified threat against response rules. Generates authorization token for permitted countermeasures.

AUTONOMOUS EXECUTION

Authorized responses executed without operator intervention. Actions include key rotation, node isolation, route manipulation.

CONTAINMENT STABLE

Post-response validation confirms threat containment. System returns to monitoring posture. Audit records finalized.

Topology Diagram

ARCHITECTURE DIAGRAMFull system topology — sovereign deployment reference

SYSTEM BOUNDARY MAPControl plane / data plane separation — trust boundary reference