Crypto
Ethereum Developers Propose Post-Quantum Deposit Contract
Ethereum developers have proposed a new contract to prepare the network for post-quantum signature systems. The draft proposal, submitted on August 24 by researchers Kevaundray Wedderburn, Tom Wambsgans and Thomas Coratger, focuses on validator deposits.
The current BLS signature system has fixed-length public keys and signatures. In contrast, the new contract would accept variable-length keys, signatures and metadata, using scheme identifiers to distinguish cryptographic systems.
The proposal does not name or select a specific post-quantum algorithm at this stage. A staged rollout plan is included, allowing for a transition period before permanently turning off new BLS deposits.