diff --git a/EIPS/eip-7619.md b/EIPS/eip-7619.md index 8f5333cb709c1..e05042d8c61a9 100644 --- a/EIPS/eip-7619.md +++ b/EIPS/eip-7619.md @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ Include a precompiled signature verification function using Falcon-512. Falcon-5 ## Motivation -The advent of quantum computing threatens blockchain protocols and networks because they utilize non-quantum resistant cryptographic algorithms. When quantum computers become robust enough to run Shor’s algorithm on a large scale, the most used asymmetric algorithms, utilized for digital signatures and message encryption, such as RSA, (EC)DSA, and (EC)DH, will be no longer secure. Quantum computers will be able to break them within a short period of time. Today, there are hundreds of billions of dollars denominated in cryptocurrencies and other digital assets that rely on blockchain ledgers as well as thousands of blockchain-based applications storing value in blockchain networks. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain-based applications require solutions that guarantee quantum resistance in order to preserve the integrity of data and assets in these public and immutable ledgers. Most proposals for quantum-resistant blockchain networks are theoretical, require large QKD networks, or propose new quantum-resistant blockchain protocols to be built from scratch. This EIP is pioneer in proposing a solution compatible with current EVM blockchain protocols. It presents a simple mechanism to add a NIST-compliant post-quantum signature to blockchain transactions, making them quantum-resistant even when ECC cryptography becomes vulnerable against attacks by quantum computers. We have developed a Solidity implementation for the on-chain verification of this signatures, which does not scale due to the required high amount of gas. This is why **this EIP is proposing a pre-compiled smart contract** that allows to verify post-quantum signatures in a scalable manner. +The advent of quantum computing threatens blockchain protocols and networks because they utilize non-quantum resistant cryptographic algorithms. When quantum computers become robust enough to run Shor’s algorithm (a quantum algorithm to find the prime factos of an integer) on a large scale, the most used asymmetric algorithms, utilized for digital signatures and message encryption, such as RSA, (EC)DSA, and (EC)DH, will be no longer secure. Quantum computers will be able to break them within a short period of time. Today, there are hundreds of billions of dollars denominated in cryptocurrencies and other digital assets that rely on blockchain ledgers as well as thousands of blockchain-based applications storing value in blockchain networks. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain-based applications require solutions that guarantee quantum resistance in order to preserve the integrity of data and assets in these public and immutable ledgers. Most proposals for quantum-resistant blockchain networks are theoretical, require large QKD (quantum key distribution, a secure communication method that implements a cryptographic protocol involving components of quantum mechanics) networks, or propose new quantum-resistant blockchain protocols to be built from scratch. This EIP is pioneer in proposing a solution compatible with current EVM blockchain protocols. It presents a simple mechanism to add a NIST-compliant post-quantum signature to blockchain transactions, making them quantum-resistant even when ECC (elliptic curve cryptography) cryptography becomes vulnerable against attacks by quantum computers. We have developed a Solidity implementation for the on-chain verification of this signatures, which does not scale due to the required high amount of gas. This is why **this EIP is proposing a pre-compiled smart contract** that allows to verify post-quantum signatures in a scalable manner. ## Specification