According to Bitcoin Magazine, a research paper published by teams from institutions such as Texas A&M University–Commerce, North American University, and Florida Gulf Coast University proposes a post-quantum secure solution for the Bitcoin Lightning Network called “PQLN.” The paper notes that even after the Bitcoin mainnet completes its anti-quantum consensus upgrade in the future, it still cannot directly cover the off-chain transmission layer of the Lightning Network. Current attackers can already capture and record encrypted network traffic, waiting to launch a “steal now, decrypt later” attack when quantum computers emerge. To address this, PQLN introduces NIST-standardized lattice-based ML-DSA and ML-KEM algorithms, building a hybrid post-quantum protection layer into the Lightning Network’s gossip protocol, transport handshake, payment onion routing, and invoices. The team validated the implementation in the mainstream rust-lightning, with the additional cryptographic computation overhead of less than 0.33 milliseconds, enabling the Lightning Network to establish an anti-quantum barrier without waiting for Bitcoin L1.