Quantum-Safe Security

 K8sX- Quantum Edge Gateway (QEG) w/ Control Frameworks, & CSA Alignment Subcommittee

Author: James A. Bex – Senior Quantum Architect | Strategic Compliance Officer 

Background of Author: M. S- Cybersecurity | M. S- AI Engineering | Defense-CTMO Recruit | AEGIS-X 

Intended Audience: Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Working Group Chairs, Technical Steering Committee, and STAR Governance Board 

Date: June 4th, 2025

Executive Summary

This report outlines the next-phase evolution of K8sX, extending it into a Quantum Edge Gateway (QEG) operational layer, embedding it with a modular control architecture capable of managing QPU/FPGAs, secure handshake orchestration, and compliance alignment through CSA STAR-Q, ISO 42001, and NIST PQC protocols. It also defines a strategic pursual memorandum to launch a dedicated CSA subcommittee across AI, Quantum, and Cloud Key Management working groups, targeting 2026 industry adoption.

Part I: K8sX Extension to Quantum Edge Gateway (QEG)

1. Design Overview

The K8sX-QEG module is a secure, policy-driven extension of K8sX designed to:

• Enable secure handshakes with Quantum Processing Units (QPU) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) systems

• Orchestrate low-level interaction with FPGAs and QPUs

• Manage quantum job execution pipelines across hybrid cloud networks

2. Subcomponents

• Handshake Orchestrator: FPGA/QPU-specific protocols

• Quantum Trust Broker: Continuous attestation via quantum-enabled OPA policies

• Secure Pod Templates: For validated quantum apps, wrapped with AI-based runtime policy enforcement

Part II: Standardized Control Frameworks Across Domains

1. Control Architecture

• Uses the Before–After–Gap (BAG): Model to define delta between classical and post-quantum environments

•  Maps to: CSA STAR-Q, ISO/IEC 42001, and NIST 800-208 controls

2. Control Alignment Outputs

• STAR-Q Overlay for Post-Quantum Orchestration

• ISO-Q Extension Sheet for AI-Quantum Process Interaction

• NIST-PQC Extended Control Tags integrated in reusable YAML bundles

Part III: Quantum-App Dev Overlay (QADO)

1. Layer Description

QADO is a K8sX-optional overlay to:

• Support Quantum-native or hybrid apps (e.g., Qiskit, PennyLane, hybrid Torch-Qiskit models)

• Enforce runtime boundary enforcement using Quantum-Aware Pod Security Policies (QAPSP)

2. Execution Support

• Modular interface for QPU job scheduling

• Built-in post-quantum IAM controls

• Simulated execution pipeline for debugging across classical systems

Part IV: Quantum Compliance Profile (QCP)

1. Control Sets Embedded

• NIST PQC Suite B (FIPS 203, 204, 205)

• ENISA Quantum Readiness Controls

• CSA STAR-Q Control Extensions v0.9

2. Function

QCP ensures:

• Uniform trust boundary verification

• Continuous attestation of compliance state

• AI-driven impact analysis on encrypted data paths

Part V: Cross-Domain Policy Engine (CDPE)

1. Integration

• Expands OPA-K8sX into Quantum-Context Aware OPA (QOPA)

• Schema includes:

  • QPU Job Type

  • Key Type (PQC, Symmetric, QKD)

  • AI-Policy Coherence Factor

2. Benefits

• Enables continuous attestation of quantum-influenced services

• Detects and blocks policy anomalies across classical + quantum stacks

Part VI: Strategic Fit for 2026 Industry Adoption

1. Gap Filled

• Fragmented controls across AI, quantum, and cloud environments

• Lack of standardized execution environments for quantum in K8s

• Insufficient cryptographic attestation pipelines

2. What This Enables by 2026

• Pre-certified quantum application environments

• CSA-aligned AI agents that enforce PQC standards

• Modular quantum-to-cloud execution stacks

• Integrated governance pipelines for cross-domain certification

Part VII: CSA Subcommittee Pursual – AI + Quantum + Cloud Key Management

1. Justification

2. Deliverables

• QAI-KMS v1.0 Control Framework

• STAR-Q Certification Overlay Templates

• CSA CCM Quantum Control Family Proposals

• Post-Quantum Zero Trust Blueprint (PQ-ZT)

3. Alignment

• NIST PQC and 800-208

• ISO/IEC 42001 for AI

• CSA STAR-Q and STAR-AI

Final Summary

K8sX's transition into a quantum-secure orchestration framework via QEG, QADO, and CDPE aligns tightly with 2026's technological convergence. By operationalizing compliance through QCP and pursuing CSA-level subcommittee integration, this approach guarantees not just interoperability-but certified, cross-domain assurance.

Next Actions:

1. Submit CSA Subcommittee Charter Draft

2. Open K8sX-QEG Beta for Controlled Partner Review (e.g., IBM, DoD, Accenture)

3. Align with STAR Registry to define quantum-aware certification workflows

This is the industry's benchmark, I have 4 Quantum Adoption Plans ready for Orgianizations to build off of this. If anybody needs help mapping towards this or wants a bullet- proof strategy, now is not the time to be shy. Please reach out [email protected]  

Prepared by:
James A. Bex-
Senior Quantum Architect | Strategic Compliance Officer
CSA STAR-Q / CCM 5 Contributor/AEGIS-X  Author