Security Architecture
Zero-Trust.
Sovereign by Design.
EDN's security model was not retrofitted. It was architected from first principles: your documents never persist on our infrastructure, they move over encrypted transit, and every notarization leaves you a record you can prove.
The EDN Security Framework
Cryptographic Integrity Seal
Every notarization carries a cryptographic seal over the document's SHA-256 fingerprint. Documents move over AES-256-GCM encrypted transit so only the notary can access them. You retain the seal certificate and can verify it against the document at /verify, checked against our published public key. Any change to the document breaks the seal — so integrity is provable without trusting our infrastructure.
Hardware Security Module (HSM) Key Custody
Private signing keys are managed as access-controlled, non-exportable secrets held outside the application's readable state. EDN's infrastructure roadmap moves key custody into a Google Cloud Hardware Security Module operating at FIPS 140-2 Level 3 — hardware validated to resist tampering, probing, and physical extraction, where a key cannot be read by EDN engineers and all signing operations occur inside the HSM boundary.
Zero-Trust Identity & Biometric Vetting
Identity verification uses a multi-factor, zero-trust model. We do not rely on password authentication alone. Our Biometric Gate applies liveness detection and government-issued ID cross-referencing before any notarial act is permitted. Our biometric identity vetting is entirely stateless. EDN utilizes zero-persistence processing pipelines where biometric identifiers are strictly processed in-memory for instant verification and permanently purged within 24 hours, in line with Washington MHMDA data-minimization requirements.
Sophisticated Data Lifecycle Management
Zero-trust biometric identity vetting. TLS 1.3 encrypted channel established.
Document hash computed. Cryptographic seal applied. PII isolated.
Document hash cryptographically sealed. Client-retained, independently verifiable record created.
All raw PII and document content deleted. Cryptographic Security Audit Certificate retained for 50+ years.
The Security Audit Certificate that remains after the 24-hour purge contains no recoverable PII. It is a mathematical proof — a hash and its cryptographic integrity seal — sufficient to verify document integrity at any point in the future without retaining the original document.
The seal is self-contained: it signs the document's SHA-256 fingerprint with EDN's private key, and anyone can verify it against the document at /verify, checked against EDN's published public key.
Threats EDN Is Designed to Defeat
Provider Lock-In & Record Loss
A provider database can be deleted, acquired, or discontinued. Because you retain the seal certificate, your proof does not depend on EDN staying online — anyone can recompute the document hash and check it against the published public key.
Key Extraction & HSM Tampering
Signing keys are held as access-controlled, non-exportable secrets today, with planned migration to FIPS 140-2 Level 3 HSM custody so no plaintext key ever leaves the hardware boundary.
Data Breach & PII Exposure
The 24-hour PII purge cycle ensures that a breach at any point after session completion exposes zero recoverable client data.
Man-in-the-Middle Interception
TLS 1.3 encryption on all session endpoints protects against interception during document transmission.
Post-Notarization Tampering
Any alteration to a notarized document changes its SHA-256 fingerprint, breaking the cryptographic integrity seal. Because you retain the seal and can verify it against our published public key, tampering is detectable without trusting EDN's infrastructure.
Identity Spoofing & Synthetic ID Fraud
Real-time liveness detection and government ID cross-referencing in the Biometric Gate prevent synthetic or stolen identity use.