Author: Erik Aronesty 2022-04-11 18:17:22
Published on: 2022-04-11T18:17:22+00:00
A recent discussion on the bitcoin-dev mailing list suggested implementing a new address type that would be quantum safe. The proposed address type would use a combination of secp256k1 and NTRU Prime, a post-quantum cryptography algorithm that was a finalist in the NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography competition. While there are patent controversies surrounding NTRU Prime, a streamlined version of the algorithm called "sntrup" is patent-free. The discussion also suggests adding a fee premium for using these addresses to address any concerns about extra validation work for nodes. However, it is noted that this proposal may be putting the cart before the horse, as the results of the NIST competition have not been published yet. Once the results are published, a double-wrapped bitcoin address of some kind can be specified and coded up accordingly. The discussion also mentions that while Bitcoin does not yet have fee weights, these addresses should be considered "heavier" if they are significantly slower to validate.
Updated on: 2023-06-15T18:59:35.349538+00:00