Ethereum Research Proposal Targets Post-Quantum Wallet Security At Low Gas Cost
Ethereum researchers are revisiting post-quantum wallet security with a proposal that makes quantum-resistant signature verification practical on the EVM without a protocol-wide upgrade. The design adapts SPHINCS+, a stateless NIST-standardized post-quantum signature scheme, for Ethereum by replacing SHAKE256 with native KECCAK256 to better fit EVM costs. The goal is not broad protocol change, but a realistic wallet-level migration path if current cryptography is ever weakened by quantum computers. Estimated verification cost is about 127,000–150,000 gas, which is higher than ordinary signatures but potentially usable for high-value wallets, smart accounts, and long-term custody. This approach could support quantum-resistant recovery, migration, and spending rules at the application layer. The proposal is still early research, with major trade-offs in gas, signature size, and complexity, but it shows how post-quantum readiness may begin in wallets before any base-layer Ethereum upgrade.
