Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Decentralized Storage Vault?
A User Vault is a secure, personal space for verified and encrypted information—such as identity documents and biometrics collected during verification. It allows users to safely store and manage their data while giving companies a compliant way to access it when authorized. Access is always controlled by the user. Data can only be shared with parties explicitly granted permission or those who hold the unique Vault Access Key.
Unlike centralized storage, a User Vault is distributed and decentralized: information is broken into fragments (shards) and stored across multiple nodes in Zyphe’s network. Each shard is encrypted using an n-out-of-m threshold scheme, so no single node can ever view or reconstruct the underlying data. Only authorized users can reassemble and decrypt the information, ensuring there is no single point of failure and dramatically reducing the risk of breaches or unauthorized access.
For onboarding, users benefit from faster verification: if an identity document in the vault is still valid and accepted by a platform, they can reuse it without repeating KYC.
All data is geo-located to meet residency requirements and protected with industry-grade security, including AES‑256 encryption. By design, Zyphe’s decentralized infrastructure removes central points of vulnerability, lowering both compliance overhead and data breach risks while keeping privacy fully in the user’s control.
How should I store my Vault Access Key?
You are welcome to store the Vault Access Key to your own decentralized storage vault in whichever format you prefer, though we recommend using a secure password manager that also includes biometric validation or a passkey.
In the event of a future onboarding using Zyphe, using this passcode, you will be able to save time and avoid redoing KYC if the IDs in your vault are still valid and include an acceptable form of ID for the platform that you’re onboarding with. If you lose your Vault Access Key, then you may be required to redo your KYC the next time you onboard with a platform that uses Zyphe.
Is it safe to send users a Vault Access Key via email?
Yes — sending your Vault Access Key by email is considered safe enough to balance ease of use with strong security. We chose this method so that you can receive the key quickly and conveniently, without complicated steps, while still ensuring your information remains protected.
The Vault Access Key on its own does not provide access to your data or account. It can only be used in combination with your existing platform credentials, which stay private and secure. This means that even in the unlikely event the email were intercepted or the key leaked, it cannot be used directly to access your storage or personal information.
In addition, our emails are transmitted over encrypted connections (TLS) whenever supported by mail providers, helping to protect them during delivery.
To keep your account as safe as possible, we recommend that you: Do not forward or share your Vault Access Key Store it securely (for example, in a password manager) Delete the email once you’ve saved the key safely
This approach ensures that the Vault Access Key is both convenient to use and secure against misuse.
Does my Zyphe Vault Access Key grant access to the platform that I'm onboarding with?
The Vault Access Key you received is only for your identity information stored in Zyphe, which can be conveniently reused for future onboarding onto other platforms that also use Zyphe for identity verification. It does not grant access to the platform that you’re onboarding with. You will separately need the login information for that specific platform.