PastWipe™ is the product. RepSec™ is an optional protocol framework. PastWipe can be deployed and used without RepSec.
What RepSec is
RepSec expresses policy, validation and evidence consistently across participating systems, so that different organisations and vendors can interpret the same conditions and records in an interoperable way.
Core ideas:
- Attested access: protected data is only accepted when requested from an approved identity, device or environment.
- Purpose-bound validation: a use is valid only for the declared, allowed purpose.
- Evidence exchange: decisions produce records that participating systems can verify.
How RepSec relates to PastWipe
RepSec is optional: PastWipe deploys without it, and RepSec is not sold as a separate product. It is used between systems that agree to participate.
RepSec-Q: post-quantum resilience for RepSec
RepSec-Q extends the optional RepSec framework toward post-quantum resilience.
Advances in quantum computing are expected to put pressure on some encryption methods in use today. A commonly discussed risk is "harvest now, decrypt later": encrypted data is stolen now and kept until it can be decrypted. Encryption alone does not address data that has already been exfiltrated or duplicated, so RepSec-Q is designed to keep policy, validation and evidence controls dependable as cryptographic standards change.
Focus areas:
- control over compromised or duplicated data through policy and validation
- verifiable data authenticity and integrity
- evidence for regulatory, compliance and cyber-insurance review
- long-term data governance as post-quantum cryptography is adopted
Post-quantum properties depend on the selected cryptography and implementation, and are scoped per evaluation. Like RepSec, RepSec-Q is optional and PastWipe does not depend on it.
When RepSec is relevant
RepSec is most relevant where several organisations, such as agencies, vendors or insurers, need to exchange policy and evidence across boundaries. For a single organisation's deployment, PastWipe works on its own.