Project Overview
The Quantum Resistant Ledger (QRL) project is a public chain ledger specifically designed for quantum computing (QC) advancements. Unlike existing ledgers such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, QRL is specifically designed to use a post-quantum secure signature for XMSS transactions.
QRL also uses a low-power proof-of-assurance (POS) algorithm, which again uses an iterative hash chain and a verifiable hash-based pseudo-random number function. The POS algorithm is designed to be independent of traditional signatures, which are susceptible to sufficiently strong QCs and allow nodes to run on low-power devices such as Raspberry Pis or laptops and passively earn revenue through staking.
There are several important cryptosystems that are considered quantum-resistant: hash-based cryptography, code-based cryptography, lattice-based cryptography, multivariate quadratic equation cryptography, and secret cryptography. key cryptography. All of these schemes are considered to be resistant to both classical and quantum computing attacks, given a sufficiently long key size.
Forward-secure hash-based digital signature schemes have minimal security requirements, relying only on the collision resistance of the cryptographic hash function. Changing the chosen hash function results in a new hash-based digital signature scheme. Hash-based digital signatures are well-studied and are prime candidates for future post-quantum signatures. Hence, they are the post-quantum signature class chosen after QRL.
