Backwards-compatible quantum fix found, but not for Bitcoin and Ethereum

Sui Research has introduced a cryptographic model that could connection extortion against quantum computing threats without requiring hard forks, code changes oregon cardinal updates.

Cryptographer Kostas Chalkias wrote successful a Monday X post that the caller probe paper helium co-authored with Sui Research constitutes “a large breakthrough successful quantum modulation of ‘some’ blockchains.” He explained that portion the caller attack would use to Sui, Solana, Near, Cosmos and different networks, it would not use to Ethereum and Bitcoin.

“As acold arsenic I know, this is the archetypal backward-compatible quantum-safe upgrade way for blockchain wallets to debar aboriginal forks oregon freezing accounts,” Chalkias said.

Dan Dadybayo, a researcher astatine Unstoppable Wallet, told Cointelegraph that this insubstantial “is 1 of the astir important cryptographic breakthroughs we’ve seen successful caller years.” He explained that it enables quantum-safe wallet upgrades without requiring changes to addresses, re-signing oregon a hard fork.

A hard fork is simply a imperishable alteration to a blockchain’s protocol that is not backward-compatible, meaning nodes moving the aged bundle can’t validate blocks created nether the caller rules.

Hard forks person the imaginable to beryllium contentious and effect successful 2 abstracted networks if not afloat adopted by web maintainers. Notable examples see Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH), arsenic good arsenic Ether (ETH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC).

IBM Quantum System One successful Ehningen, Germany. Source: Wikimedia

Related: Quantum computers could bring mislaid Bitcoin backmost to life: Here’s how

The looming quantum threat

While Chalkias said helium doubts “we’re anyplace adjacent quantum supremacy that tin interruption cryptography soon,” the menace is recognized arsenic existent by galore experts.

As quantum computers go progressively susceptible of breaking the cryptography that underpins blockchains, developers are seeking solutions with increasing urgency.

In the lawsuit of Bitcoin, determination are besides progressively heated assemblage discussions. During a mid-April interrogation with Cointelegraph, aboriginal cypherpunk Adam Back, cited by Satoshi Nakamoto successful the Bitcoin achromatic paper, suggested that quantum computing unit whitethorn uncover whether the blockchain’s pseudonymous creator is alive.

Back explained that quantum computing could marque the Bitcoin held by Satoshi Nakamoto susceptible to being stolen, forcing him to determination it to a caller code to debar losing entree to his coins. The Bitcoin assemblage could besides beryllium forced to determine whether to frost addresses that are susceptible to a quantum computing onslaught erstwhile those attacks go practical. Chalkias added:

“Once quantum computers arrive, millions of wallets, including Satoshi’s, could beryllium drained instantly. If your nationalist cardinal is visible, it volition yet beryllium cracked.“

Related: Bitcoin’s quantum countdown has already begun, Naoris CEO says

How this innovation changes the equation

Most solutions to the quantum computing menace see changing keys to caller ones based connected post-quantum cryptography and a heavy rework of the bundle that helium web is based on. Instead, with the recently suggested solution, it would beryllium imaginable to execute quantum-safe wallet upgrades without changing addresses, re-signing oregon requiring a hard fork.

The breakthrough focuses connected chains that usage the Edwards-curve Digital Signature Algorithm, oregon EdDSA.

Dadybayo said that “this is imaginable due to the fact that EdDSA-based [Edwards-curve integer signature algorithm] chains similar Sui, Solana and Near deduce backstage keys deterministically from a effect which tin beryllium utilized successful zero-knowledge proofs to authorize a unafraid transition, adjacent for dormant accounts.” Zero-knowledge proofs let users to beryllium that they cognize the effect from which their keys are derived without revealing the key.

Tomer Ashur, technological manager astatine cryptography probe steadfast 3MI Labs, told Cointelegraph that this attack “allows to fell definite information that a quantum adversary would request for attacking the scheme.” He added:

“Rather than replacing EdDSA, what this attack does is to fortify the algorithm against quantum attacks. ”

The concatenation tin judge this zero-knowledge impervious arsenic an authorization to judge a post-quantum nationalist cardinal arsenic the network’s caller key. This would debar the request for caller relationship IDs (the aged EdDSA nationalist cardinal would inactive beryllium used), re-signing of aged transactions oregon a hard fork.

Most importantly, dormant accounts are covered. In different words, if Bitcoin used EdDSA signatures from its inception, determination would beryllium nary heated discussions astir whether Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin would beryllium frozen successful the future.

Robert Roose, laminitis of Cardano interoperability protocol Mynth, admitted that — if the insubstantial is close — this is simply a large development. “Caveat connected the if,” helium added.

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