we're here to help
Frequently Asked Questions
HyperSphere's innovative approach to quantum computing as a method of protecting your data means we're often asked questions about the program and how it works. If we don't answer your question here, feel free to contact us for more information.
The Basics
Q: Does Wallet GuardTM aka the Vault include a cryptocurrency wallet?
A: No. Hypersphere® Technologies, Inc., including Wallet GuardTM, does not provide or maintain a cryptocurrency wallet of any type. Wallet GuardTM provides protection for existing cryptocurrency credentials.
Q: What is shadowing?
A: Shadowing is a patented technology that permits protection of any data, for example a password, pass phrase, or other data. “Shadows” of the data are created, the original data can be destroyed, and then when needed the data can be revived when needed from a defined number of shadows (2, 3, or 4).
Q: Isn’t shadowing just another form of encryption?
A: No. Encryption just shows the same data in another format. It is vulnerable to most computers and especially the new quantum computers. Shadowing creates shadows of the data using our patented shadowing technology and then can destroy the data. The data can only be recreated when the required number of shadows come together. When the original data is destroyed, there is nothing to steal.
Q: What is encryption?
A: Encryption is simply the process of converting text and/or data into an unreadable format of the text and/or data using an encryption key. The original text and/or data still exists and is vulnerable to hacking once the hacker has the key. Modern computers such as quantum computers are making decoding encrypted data increasingly easy especially in the context of public/private key encryption, the type used for most online commerce including banking.
Q: Where are my shadows stored?
A: One shadow is stored by the owner at a place they choose. Another shadow is stored by HyperSphere®. In the case of 3 shadows being created, the third shadow is stored at another safe place chosen by the owner. No two shadows should be stored in the same place. HyperSphere® stores only one shadow so it is impossible for HyperSphere® to recreate the data without owner participation.
Q: Does HyperSphere® ever have direct access to or store the data I am protecting with Wallet GuardTM?
A: No.
Q: How does this relate to a cryptocurrency wallet?
A: Your password, pass phrase, or other related data can be revived to ensure your ability to access your cryptocurrency wallet. You will not become a statistic of someone who has lost access to their cryptocurrency, which sadly has happened to about 20% of the people who own cryptocurrencies.
Q: Why does this matter?
A: Using old technologies, access to cryptocurrencies and/or other data can be lost, hacked, or stolen. Shadowing provides a defense against these threats.
Q: Can I upgrade or downgrade my subscription?
A: Yes. Subscriptions can be modified by the user on-line by opening their account and following the instructions.
Q: What benefit do I get with a yearly plan vs a monthly plan?
A: With the yearly plan you receive two months free.
Q: How do I cancel my subscription?
A: Subscriptions can be canceled by the user on-line by opening their account and following the instructions.
Q: What is a blockchain?
A: Blockchain is a method of keeping a record of transactions made in cryptocurrency that is kept across several computers linked in a peer-to-peer network. In peer-to-peer networks, each computer is capable of acting as a server for the others allowing access to files among computers without a central server.
Q: What does quantum mean?
A: There is no simple definition of “quantum” as related to computers. Wikipedia has the following definition: In physics, a quantum (plural quanta) is the minimum amount of any physical entity (physical property) involved in an interaction. The term has been applied to a new design of computers operating at extremely low temperatures and extremely high speed.
Q: What is a “White Paper”?
A: A white paper is a guide that informs the reader about complex issues in terms that helps the reader understand the subject being discussed.
Q: Isn’t this just multisignature security?
A: No. Multisignature wallets or transaction verification can do some of what shadowing does. In some cases, 2 of 3, 3 of 5, or some other number of issued keys is needed to validate a wallet or transaction. The important term here is keys. Those keys still exist in a mutlisignature environment. Keys of course can be lost, stolen, or hacked especially as quantum computing and other technologies advance. With shadowing, the keys can be destroyed so they no longer exist. Something that does not exist cannot be lost, stolen, or hacked. Then the key (or keys) can be revived when needed.
HyperSphere®’s technology can provide additional benefits not yet incorporated into the Wallet GuardTM offering. For instance, HyperSphere®‘s API grants you the ability to revoke or add new shadows without having to touch (decrypt or re-encrypt) the underlying data. This adds a unique level of security and allows you to deny access to people you no longer want to be involved. These features are expected to be incorporated into later offerings.
Relationship to Current Technologies
Q: Does shadowing work with current encryption technologies?
A: Yes. Shadowing can leverage existing cryptographic algorithms – ECC, RSA, and AES. Shadowing also can be used to protect keys used in a multisignature context.
Q: Using patented shadowing, is compromise and exfiltration of data possible?
A: If insufficient shadows are accessible, comprise and exfiltration of protected data is not possible even using quantum computing.
Q: Can anyone else guarantee this level of security?
A: No. Inferior solutions created before shadowing are based on Shamir’s Shared Secret polynomial based concepts. These solutions permit exfiltration of data even if less than M parts of their “shared secret” is accessible. This weakness of the competing solutions has been validated in academia.
Scalability
Q: How will shadowing scale in an enterprise deployment?
A: Unlike data splitting solutions created before shadowing, some of which are being sold today by companies such as Dyadic and have been purchased by Intuit, we do not need cipher text to be exchanged or passed around to (M) of the devices before decryption can happen.
In competing technologies – passing of cipher text information across devices and machines – not to mention multiple cloud providers – limits performance of business-critical application servers and the scheme cannot be used for any high-volume application.
Also, shadows can be regenerated and/or revoked without having to re-encrypt the payload. The business implications are significant.
Q: How much processing power does it take to run the foundation of shadowing technology)?
A: Very little – in fact that’s one real differentiator between shadowing technology and all others before it.
For example – Shamir-based algorithms are slow and not cryptographically secure. Shadowing performance is very fast and scalable to high volume applications. We have demonstrated this using functioning code on a laptop computer, for example via a WebEx. Often – we generate hundreds of thousands of calculations in a brief demonstration using an IBM laptop with a core i7 chipset from Intel.
Quantum Cryptography
Q: What is quantum cryptography?
A: Quantum cryptography leverages quantum computing to process information in a radical new way. Applications include factoring large numbers. The ability to factor a large number would render most current cryptographic solutions obsolete.
Q: Is shadowing immune to quantum cryptography?
A: Yes.
