Sui Research has introduced a cryptographic framework that could offer protection against quantum computing threats without requiring hard forks, address changes or key updates.
Cryptographer Kostas Chalkias wrote in a Monday X post that the recent research paper he co-authored with Sui Research constitutes “a major breakthrough in quantum transition of ‘some’ blockchains.” He explained that while the new approach would apply to Sui, Solana, Near, Cosmos and other networks, it would not apply to Ethereum and Bitcoin.
“As far as I know, this is the first backward-compatible quantum-safe upgrade path for blockchain wallets to avoid future forks or freezing accounts,” Chalkias said.
Dan Dadybayo, a researcher at Unstoppable Wallet, told Cointelegraph that this paper “is one of the most important cryptographic breakthroughs we’ve seen in recent years.” He explained that it enables quantum-safe wallet upgrades without requiring changes to addresses, re-signing or a hard fork.
A hard fork is a permanent change to a blockchain’s protocol that is not backward-compatible, meaning nodes running the old software can’t validate blocks created under the new rules.
Hard forks have the potential to be contentious and result in two separate networks if not fully adopted by network maintainers. Notable examples include Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH), as well as Ether (ETH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC).
Related: Quantum computers could bring lost Bitcoin back to life: Here’s how
The looming quantum threat
While Chalkias said he doubts “we’re anywhere near quantum supremacy that can break cryptography soon,” the threat is recognized as real by many experts.
As quantum computers become increasingly capable of breaking the cryptography that underpins blockchains, developers are seeking solutions with growing urgency.
In the case of Bitcoin, there are also increasingly heated community discussions. During a mid-April interview with Cointelegraph, early cypherpunk Adam Back, cited by Satoshi Nakamoto in the Bitcoin white paper, suggested that quantum computing pressure may reveal whether the blockchain’s pseudonymous creator is alive.
Back explained that quantum computing could make the Bitcoin held by Satoshi Nakamoto vulnerable to being stolen, forcing him to move it to a new address to avoid losing access to his coins. The Bitcoin community could also be forced to decide whether to…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Cointelegraph.com News…
