What is SNDL?
Store-Now-Decrypt-Later (SNDL) refers to the practice by nation-state actors of recording encrypted traffic today to decrypt it tomorrow.
Exfiltration & Mass Archival
Adversaries intercept and record encrypted TLS/IPSec streams without needing to crack the key immediately.
Batch Retrospective Decryption
CRQCs run Shor's algorithm on recorded handshakes, revealing historical secrets, proprietary IP, and classified ledgers.
The Harvesting Threat Model
Hostile intelligence agencies are currently tapping undersea fiber optic cables to harvest terabytes of encrypted traffic.
These archives will be decrypted as soon as cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs) become available.
Long-Term Data Impact
SNDL threatens all data that retains its value over time:
Financial Records: M&A plans and wallet private keys.
Health Data (PHI): Genomic datasets and medical records.
Defense Blueprints: Weaponry designs and personnel identities.
CQWS Preventative Measures
By deploying CQWS today, all outgoing traffic is encapsulated using ML-KEM and XOR Pauli masking.
Harvested CQWS traffic yields only mathematical noise, impossible to decrypt even with infinite quantum power.