#nearaccountssupportpostquantummldsa
NEAR Takes a First Step Toward the Quantum Era
Quantum computing has been a slow-burn topic in crypto for years: far from urgent for most people, but hard to ignore for anyone thinking about long-term security. Now NEAR Protocol has made a concrete move.
Here's what's been reported:
• New signature support: NEAR accounts can now use ML-DSA (also known as Dilithium), a post-quantum signature scheme. That makes NEAR one of the first blockchains to support this kind of signing at the protocol level. • Reach beyond NEAR: Through Chain Signatures and NEAR Intents, a NEAR account can also be used to control assets on 30+ other chains, so the added protection could extend past NEAR itself. • Validators, with limits: Validators can use post-quantum keys for their accounts, but only for authorizing transactions and confirming staking. Securing consensus itself is a separate challenge. • Why consensus is harder: ML-DSA is described as too large and costly for consensus, and alternatives like Falcon are not yet seen as mature enough. The roadmap points to quantum-safe consensus and cross-chain infrastructure by 2027.
Why it matters: Post-quantum security is partly a question of timing. Migrating a network's cryptography takes years, so some projects are starting early rather than waiting for the threat to become tangible. At the same time, this is only the account layer. The harder parts, including consensus, are still ahead, and nothing here suggests that a practical quantum threat is imminent.
As more chains begin preparing, will post-quantum readiness become something users actively look for, or will it stay in the background until the need is clearer?
$NEAR $MAGIC $LUMIA
NEAR Takes a First Step Toward the Quantum Era
Quantum computing has been a slow-burn topic in crypto for years: far from urgent for most people, but hard to ignore for anyone thinking about long-term security. Now NEAR Protocol has made a concrete move.
Here's what's been reported:
• New signature support: NEAR accounts can now use ML-DSA (also known as Dilithium), a post-quantum signature scheme. That makes NEAR one of the first blockchains to support this kind of signing at the protocol level. • Reach beyond NEAR: Through Chain Signatures and NEAR Intents, a NEAR account can also be used to control assets on 30+ other chains, so the added protection could extend past NEAR itself. • Validators, with limits: Validators can use post-quantum keys for their accounts, but only for authorizing transactions and confirming staking. Securing consensus itself is a separate challenge. • Why consensus is harder: ML-DSA is described as too large and costly for consensus, and alternatives like Falcon are not yet seen as mature enough. The roadmap points to quantum-safe consensus and cross-chain infrastructure by 2027.
Why it matters: Post-quantum security is partly a question of timing. Migrating a network's cryptography takes years, so some projects are starting early rather than waiting for the threat to become tangible. At the same time, this is only the account layer. The harder parts, including consensus, are still ahead, and nothing here suggests that a practical quantum threat is imminent.
As more chains begin preparing, will post-quantum readiness become something users actively look for, or will it stay in the background until the need is clearer?
$NEAR $MAGIC $LUMIA