Blockchain network Aptos is advancing toward a post-quantum signature option, acknowledging the rising concern that quantum computing advancements could impact the security of blockchain transactions and accounts.
On Thursday, Aptos presented a proposal for the adoption of post-quantum signatures, addressing the network’s dependence on digital signatures for ownership verification, transaction authorization, and overall security.
While current cryptographic methods are secure against classical computing attacks, researchers caution that powerful quantum machines may one day undermine them, potentially compromising account security retroactively.
“Quantum computing is no longer a distant reality,” Aptos Labs stated in a post on X, citing early quantum scaling discussions by IBM and increasing regulatory momentum from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which published post-quantum cryptography standards.
“This is significant for networks like Aptos since Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computers (CRQCs) could potentially make current signature schemes forgeable, jeopardizing security models,” the post stated. CRQCs are theorized to possess the power to break existing cryptographic systems.
In light of this, developers have proposed AIP-137, an Aptos Improvement Proposal authored by Aptos Labs cryptographers, aiming to integrate a post-quantum signature scheme at the account level.
If approved through governance, AIP-137 would implement SLH-DSA, a hash-based digital signature scheme standardized as FIPS 205, as an optional account signature type. This would position Aptos as one of the earliest production blockchains to support post-quantum accounts natively.
However, existing accounts would remain unchanged. Post-quantum accounts would be available on an opt-in basis, enabling users to transition at their discretion.
Aptos ranks as one of the larger layer-1 proof-of-stake blockchains, primarily established to support decentralized applications. Earlier this year, its ecosystem head, Ash Pampati, told Cointelegraph that consumer-driven applications were thriving on the network, especially those that combine Web2 and Web3 elements.
As previously reported by Cointelegraph, Aptos has also become a platform for tokenized real-world assets, with asset managers like Franklin Templeton and BlackRock launching products on the network.
Related: Google announces quantum advantage, 13,000 times faster than supercomputers
The race against quantum
While many in the crypto industry believe that quantum threats to blockchains, particularly Bitcoin, are still years away, networks are proactively preparing, with Aptos not being the only one.
Earlier this month, Solana trialed quantum-resistant transactions on a dedicated testnet to assess how post-quantum signature schemes could be incorporated into its transaction framework without affecting existing accounts.
Within the Bitcoin community, a smaller yet vocal group of developers, researchers, and fund managers has also begun advocating for expedited advancements in quantum-resistant cryptography.
Some have supported BIP-360, a proposed Bitcoin Improvement Proposal to introduce quantum-resistant signature options, although the concept remains in early development and is open to discussion.
Others, such as early Bitcoin figure Adam Back, have downplayed immediate quantum concerns as fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD), asserting that Bitcoin’s core security model does not rely on encryption. Instead, it employs digital signature schemes and cryptographic hash functions, which are not imminently threatened by practical quantum computing.
Related: Are quantum computers stealing Bitcoin? Inside Josh Mandell’s claim and the pushback
