QRL Launches Project Zond Beta-Testnet For Blockchain Security In Quantum-Computing Era

With the quantum computing era drawing closer, the need for next-generation blockchain technology has arrived. Quantum Resistant Ledger (QRL), is designed to deliver enterprise-level security to the blockchain space in the future of quantum computing. And it has reached a critical milestone in its journey.  

QRL has introduced its highly anticipated next-evolution of post-quantum secure distributed ledger technology (DLT) – QRL Zond. This upgrade will allow for the existence of secure blockchain-based digital assets protected from sufficiently advanced quantum computers.

QRL Zond is a quantum-safe decentralized network on which developers can build next-generation applications while accessing the familiar methods and architecture native to Ethereum. As a result, developers and blockchain projects can continue building toward a quantum-safe environment without having to wait for the decentralized finance (DeFi) space to catch up or worse, regress.   

The QRL Zond feature is now available as beta-testnet version one. Blockchain developers can now build decentralized applications (dApps) harnessing the power of Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) smart contracts and a robust web3 API on a quantum-safe backbone. This peer-to-peer network is capable of running proof-of-stake to support activities like digital asset staking and smart contract transactions popular on Ethereum.  

QRL Zond is the key to unlocking solutions to the challenges that await in a post-quantum environment. Quantum computing will eventually collide with traditional cryptographic systems. QRL ensures the blockchain won't come to a screeching halt when that happens.

How QRL Supports Blockchain Signatures

Blockchain signatures are fundamental to DLT and are the conduit allowing digital messages to be decoded on the blockchain using cryptography. Digital signatures on the blockchain are akin to hand-written signatures in traditional agreements and they are vital to unlocking and protecting sensitive information. QRL has taken a different approach to digital signatures and that has been key.  

While standard blockchains rely on cryptography to secure signatures on the blockchain, QRL uses the eXtended Merkle Tree Signature Scheme, or XMSS, a digital signature scheme that's built to be secure in the post-quantum era. But XMSS had limitations around key blockchain attributes like signature size and one-time key use. Fortunately, QRL found a workaround.  

An algorithm dubbed Shor's Algorithm, developed in the early 1990s by Peter Shor, poses a significant threat to conventional public key cryptography, including those used in blockchain systems. It is the formula by which private keys inherent with DLT can become known to anyone with access to public keys on the blockchain, and rightfully so. Without this innovation, a quantum-secure future would face many additional hurdles to protecting assets in the near and long term.  

QRL is also protected against Grover's quantum algorithm, also known as a quantum search algorithm, developed in 1996–1997. It decides whether desired data on the blockchain even exists in the first place, accelerating the digital signature process compared to classical algorithms.   

While most blockchains storing funds for any length of time are vulnerable to the power quantum computing possesses, QRL is not. Developers who are looking for a secure network on which to build in preparation of the post-quantum environment may want to consider the possibilities that QRL's Zond feature provides.  

Bitcoin, Ethereum And The Quantum Computing Future Outlook

The need for quantum-secure blockchain platforms is more urgent than ever before, especially as digital assets approach mainstream adoption. 

When Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto created the maiden blockchain back in 2009, quantum computing was much further from being a reality. Given the technological advances since then, the need for a quantum-secure network is reaching unprecedented levels.

Consider Nakamoto’s original digital wallet. Today, his bitcoin holdings are said to be worth anywhere from $43 billion-$80 billion. While Nakamoto's identity might be a mystery, the possible benefits of securing those assets is a no-brainer.  

As the blockchain industry matures, new technologies continue to emerge, including one upgrade in 2021 known as Taproot. This update was implemented to make Bitcoin more scalable. But by nature, Taproot exposes public keys in a digital signature, placing those funds at risk of a quantum-sized attack, including Satoshi's stash. 

QRL is a viable solution, as its hash-based digital signatures would not be exposed to the same risks. Transferring bitcoin from its holders' original wallets to a different chain would be wildly inefficient. Given the network's current pace of around seven transactions per second (varying according to network congestion and transaction fees), such a transfer would take several months at a minimum to move these wallets, probably longer.  

Meanwhile, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is no stranger to the risks that a quantum-insecure blockchain network presents. He has warned that the rise of quantum computing would require the Ethereum blockchain to perform a "roll-back," essentially go back in time to adopt a quantum-resistant signature resulting in the loss of millions, if not billions in value. 

Fortunately, QRL offers a solution. With the recent launch of the beta testnet, QRL's Project Zond is closer than ever to a reality. The QRL Zond Testnet is now available for public use. All you need to do is install, test and report. 

Featured photo by geralt on Pixabay.

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