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QuantumAuth vs WebAuthn

QuantumAuth and WebAuthn both rely on hardware-backed authentication, but QuantumAuth extends the model far beyond WebAuthn’s capabilities.
This document explains why QuantumAuth is more secure, more flexible, and more resilient than WebAuthn across real-world threat models.

1. Purpose & Design Goals

WebAuthn​

  • Designed for website login.
  • Works only inside browsers.
  • Credentials are domain-bound.
  • Requires user interaction (touch / biometric / PIN).
  • Still relies on sessions or tokens after login.

QuantumAuth​

  • Designed for global device-bound identity, not just login.
  • Works with browsers, native apps, backends, microservices, IoT.
  • One device identity works across any number of services.
  • Zero user interaction after enrollment.
  • Removes sessions, cookies, tokens, and passwords entirely.

2. Multi-Layer Hardware Security (TPM + PQ)

WebAuthn​

  • Uses one TPM-backed private key (usually P-256 ECC).
  • No post-quantum protection.

QuantumAuth​

  • Uses two independent signing layers:
    • TPM hardware signature
    • Post-quantum signature (Dilithium, Falcon, etc.)
  • Layers are combined and verified together.
  • Even if ECC breaks (quantum computer), PQ layer stays valid.

Advantage: QuantumAuth is post-quantum secure today, WebAuthn is not.

3. Zero Tokens, Zero Sessions, Zero Cookies

WebAuthn​

After login, servers still issue:

  • JWT access tokens
  • Refresh tokens
  • Session cookies

These are all attack vectors:

  • XSS → steal JWT
  • CSRF → abuse cookies
  • Redis/DB leaks → steal sessions
  • DevOps secret leak → forge JWTs

QuantumAuth​

  • Every request is freshly signed.
  • No sessions.
  • No bearer tokens.
  • No refresh tokens.
  • Nothing stored server-side.

Advantage: Token theft and session hijacking become impossible.

4. Resistant to Server Breaches

If a WebAuthn server is breached:​

  • Attacker gets session store, user mapping, maybe JWT signing keys.
  • They can often mint valid tokens and impersonate users.

If a QuantumAuth server is breached:​

  • Only public keys + Argon2 hashes leak.
  • No reusable credentials.
  • No login tokens.
  • No private key material.
  • Cannot impersonate users.

Advantage: Server compromise does not compromise identities.

5. Identity Beyond the Browser

WebAuthn​

  • Browser API only.
  • Not usable for:
    • CLI tools
    • Microservices
    • Server-to-server auth
    • IoT devices
    • Industrial systems
    • Kiosks / ATMs
    • Native desktop apps (no browser = no WebAuthn)

QuantumAuth​

  • Works system-wide via a local daemon.
  • Any app can authenticate:
    • Browsers
    • Servers
    • Native apps
    • Scripts
    • Containers
    • IoT hardware

Advantage: QuantumAuth solves global identity, not just login.

6. Device + User Secret + Daemon Isolation

WebAuthn​

Requires:

  • User presence (touch/biometric)
  • Hardware key

But resident credentials can be triggered silently by malware if:

  • Browser is hijacked,
  • User is tricked into unlocking the key once,
  • Access is granted to the credential.

QuantumAuth​

To sign anything, an attacker needs:

  1. Physical access to the device
  2. OS login credentials
  3. QuantumAuth daemon password
  4. Ability to send requests through the local daemon

Three independent layers must be broken.

Advantage: QuantumAuth eliminates many bypass paths WebAuthn leaves open.

7. No Domain Binding — One Device Identity for All Services

WebAuthn​

  • A credential is bound to a single domain.
  • One keypair per website.
  • Not usable for federated identity.

QuantumAuth​

  • One device identity works across:
    • 1 service
    • 10 services
    • 1,000 services
  • Third-party apps never see private keys.
  • QuantumAuth server verifies hardware + PQ signatures for everyone.

Advantage: Cross-service identity with no credential duplication.

8. Not Just Login — Every Request Is Verified

WebAuthn​

  • Protects login.
  • After login, relies on:
    • JWT
    • Cookies
    • Sessions

QuantumAuth​

  • Protects every request.
  • Every request has:
    • Unique challenge
    • TPM signature
    • Post-quantum signature
  • Third party backends authenticate users with no stored credentials.

Advantage: Eliminates entire classes of post-login attacks.

9. Malware Request Defense

WebAuthn​

Browsers or malware inside the browser can:

  • Call WebAuthn APIs
  • Trigger credentials
  • Abuse resident keys

There is no system-level policy.

QuantumAuth​

The daemon:

  • Filters which apps can request signatures
  • Enforces policies
  • Enforces rate limits
  • Can block malicious origins
  • Never exposes signing interfaces to web pages directly

Advantage: Local device isolation stops signature abuse.

10. Summary Table

FeatureWebAuthnQuantumAuthWinner
Hardware-backed keys✔️✔️Tie
Post-quantum protection❌✔️QuantumAuth
Multi-layer signatures❌✔️ TPM + PQQuantumAuth
Zero tokens/cookies/sessions❌✔️QuantumAuth
Safe against server breach⚠️✔️QuantumAuth
Works outside browser❌✔️QuantumAuth
One identity for all services❌✔️QuantumAuth
Malware-trigger protection❌✔️ daemon isolationQuantumAuth
User frictionHighZero after enrollmentQuantumAuth
Federated identity❌✔️QuantumAuth

Final Summary

WebAuthn secures login.
QuantumAuth secures every request.

WebAuthn protects against phishing.
QuantumAuth protects against phishing, token theft, session hijacking, server breaches, supply chain attacks, and quantum cryptanalysis.

QuantumAuth is not a replacement for WebAuthn — it is the next evolution of hardware-based authentication.