docs/THREAT_MODEL.md

Threat Model & Safety Boundaries

Scope & Context

This is mathematical research with no physical implementation. Safety boundaries prevent misuse and clarify what can and cannot be harmed.

Assets

Asset	Current Threat	Mitigation	Status
SHA-512/SHA-3	Hypothetical quantum preimage	Reduced-round only (r ≤ 16)	✓ Safe
RSA/ECDSA keys	Not in scope	No number-theoretic algorithms	✓ Safe
Cryptanalytic algorithm	Misuse on real protocols	Research-only toy model	✓ Safe
Quantum architecture	Dual-use computing	Theoretical only; ν=12/5 unproven	✓ Safe
Formal proofs	False confidence	Explicit axioms for unproven claims	✓ Safe

Safety Boundaries (Strictly Enforced)

Allowed

✓ Classical brute-force on reduced-round SHA-520 (r ≤ 16) ✓ Quantum simulation on toy models (16-bit output, 4-round) ✓ Theoretical braid compilation (no physical generation) ✓ Academic publication & GitHub distribution

Forbidden

✗ Full-round (r=80) cryptanalysis ✗ Key recovery attempts on real protocols ✗ Hardware construction without explicit authorization ✗ Public deployment of any "attack" ✗ Claims of breaking SHA-512/SHA-3

What This Work is NOT

• ❌ A deployed attack system
• ❌ A production cryptanalysis tool
• ❌ An escape from classical computational limits
• ❌ A threat to modern cryptography

Responsible Disclosure

For academic use:

• Cite as "research model"
• Clarify "no physical implementation"
• Include falsification criteria in publications

For security professionals:

• This is NOT a threat to current systems
• Focus on post-quantum migration
• This is educational about topological QC

Boundaries frozen. Disclosure locked. No exceptions.