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Blockchain Verifiable Proof of Quantum Supremacy as a Trigger for Quantum-Secure Signatures

Nicholas Papadopoulos

TL;DR

The paper presents a blockchain-based, trustless framework to verify cryptographic quantum supremacy and automatically trigger quantum-secure fallbacks for asset protection. It identifies prime-factorization as the most viable puzzle (via RSA-UFOs) and specifies a concrete deployment: 119 locks of $4608$-bit integers built from three $1536$-bit primes, with a one-day commit-reveal protocol to deter front-running. The approach is implemented in Solidity, including a random byte accumulator, bounty and verification contracts, and a quantum-secure fallback path; it also provides a detailed cost comparison against alternative puzzles and validates feasibility through gas-cost estimates and testing. The work offers a practical signal for when current cryptographic standards become vulnerable and outlines routes for secure, cost-aware transitions to post-quantum signatures, with real-world implications for protecting blockchain assets in a quantum era.

Abstract

Blockchain is a decentralized, distributed ledger technology that ensures transparency, security, and immutability through cryptographic techniques. However, advancements in quantum computing threaten the security of classical cryptographic schemes, jeopardizing blockchain integrity once cryptographic quantum supremacy is achieved. This milestone, defined here as the realization of quantum computers to solve practical cryptographic problems, would render existing security standards vulnerable, exposing blockchain assets (currency, data, etc.) to fraud and theft. To address this risk, we propose and implement a smart contract deployable on the Ethereum blockchain, having the ability to run applications on its blockchain, that generates classically intractable puzzles by probabilistically generating large, hard-to-factor numbers without requiring secret information. This contract then serves two purposes: to establish a mechanism (1) for a trustless, unbiased proof of cryptographic quantum supremacy by verifying solutions to these puzzles, and (2) to protect user funds on Ethereum by triggering quantum-secure fallback protocols upon detecting cryptographic quantum supremacy, since it is desirable to wait as long as possible to fall back to a quantum-secure scheme because of its inherent additional cost and complexity. These mechanisms demonstrate the ability to identify cryptographic vulnerabilities and ensure a smooth transition to quantum-secure standards, safeguarding blockchain assets in a post-quantum era.

Blockchain Verifiable Proof of Quantum Supremacy as a Trigger for Quantum-Secure Signatures

TL;DR

The paper presents a blockchain-based, trustless framework to verify cryptographic quantum supremacy and automatically trigger quantum-secure fallbacks for asset protection. It identifies prime-factorization as the most viable puzzle (via RSA-UFOs) and specifies a concrete deployment: 119 locks of -bit integers built from three -bit primes, with a one-day commit-reveal protocol to deter front-running. The approach is implemented in Solidity, including a random byte accumulator, bounty and verification contracts, and a quantum-secure fallback path; it also provides a detailed cost comparison against alternative puzzles and validates feasibility through gas-cost estimates and testing. The work offers a practical signal for when current cryptographic standards become vulnerable and outlines routes for secure, cost-aware transitions to post-quantum signatures, with real-world implications for protecting blockchain assets in a quantum era.

Abstract

Blockchain is a decentralized, distributed ledger technology that ensures transparency, security, and immutability through cryptographic techniques. However, advancements in quantum computing threaten the security of classical cryptographic schemes, jeopardizing blockchain integrity once cryptographic quantum supremacy is achieved. This milestone, defined here as the realization of quantum computers to solve practical cryptographic problems, would render existing security standards vulnerable, exposing blockchain assets (currency, data, etc.) to fraud and theft. To address this risk, we propose and implement a smart contract deployable on the Ethereum blockchain, having the ability to run applications on its blockchain, that generates classically intractable puzzles by probabilistically generating large, hard-to-factor numbers without requiring secret information. This contract then serves two purposes: to establish a mechanism (1) for a trustless, unbiased proof of cryptographic quantum supremacy by verifying solutions to these puzzles, and (2) to protect user funds on Ethereum by triggering quantum-secure fallback protocols upon detecting cryptographic quantum supremacy, since it is desirable to wait as long as possible to fall back to a quantum-secure scheme because of its inherent additional cost and complexity. These mechanisms demonstrate the ability to identify cryptographic vulnerabilities and ensure a smooth transition to quantum-secure standards, safeguarding blockchain assets in a post-quantum era.
Paper Structure (11 sections, 2 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 11 sections, 2 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Background and Motivation
  3. Results
  4. Discussion
  5. Choosing the parameters
  6. Choosing the puzzle
  7. Methods
  8. Quantum bounty contract implementation
  9. Costs of deploying and verifying: order-finding vs. prime factorization
  10. Code availability
  11. Conclusion

Figures (2)

  • Figure 1: Flowchart of quantum bounty smart contract.
  • Figure 2: Timeline of how the commit-reveal scheme prevents front-running. Arrows into the memepool are submitted transactions. Arrows into the bounty contract are committed transactions. Red color means that it is infeasible. HashA is generated by encrypting the solution along with the address of userA, and similarly for HashB.