Naoris launches post-quantum blockchain as quantum security risks gain attention

Naoris Protocol has launched its mainnet, introducing a layer-1 blockchain designed to use post-quantum cryptography for transaction validation and network security. The network is live with limited, invite-only participation, allowing early users to run validator nodes and process transactions.

According to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, it integrates cryptographic standards finalized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to address risks in existing blockchains, where current encryption methods could become vulnerable over time.

Before mainnet, the protocol’s test network processed more than 100 million transactions and identified hundreds of millions of potential threats, according to the project, with activity spanning millions of wallets and nodes.

The system uses a consensus model called distributed proof of security (dPoSec) to verify transactions across nodes, while the NAORIS token is intended to support network operations as the economic model develops.

The rollout begins with a restricted group of validators and partners, with broader access expected to expand in phases.

The project lists advisers with backgrounds in cybersecurity, government and enterprise technology, and is backed by investors including Draper Associates.

Related: Is $450B in Bitcoin vulnerable to the quantum threat? Analysts weigh in

New research suggests quantum computing may arrive sooner than expected

The launch comes as revised estimates for quantum computing, which uses qubits and quantum states to process information differently from classical computers, are driving efforts to move away from current cryptographic standards.

New research from Google released on Monday suggests quantum computers may need far fewer resources than previously thought to break blockchain encryption. The study found fewer than 500,000 physical qubits could crack systems securing Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), a roughly 20-fold reduction from earlier estimates.

The findings point to a shorter timeline for quantum risk, with Justin Drake, a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, estimating at least a 10% chance that a quantum computer could recover a private key by 2032.

Researchers at California Institute of Technology working with Oratomic reached similar conclusions, recently finding that improvements in error correction (which reduce the number of qubits needed to stabilize computations) could lower the requirements for practical systems to 10,000 to 20,000 qubits, down from earlier assumptions of millions.

Based on these reductions, the researchers said a viable quantum computer could emerge by around 2030.

Blockchain developers are beginning to respond. In January, developers in the Solana ecosystem introduced a quantum-resistant vault that uses hash-based signatures to generate new keys for each transaction, reducing the exposure of public keys.

On March 24, developers from the Ethereum Foundation launched a “Post-Quantum Ethereum” resource hub outlining plans to upgrade the network’s cryptography, targeting protocol-level changes by 2029 while also noting the multi-year complexity of such a transition.

Magazine: A newbie’s guide to surviving crypto winter