Because of a recent warning from Professor Massimiliano Sala, a very good mathematician, Ripple is pushing harder for quantum-resistant cryptography to protect blockchain systems from possible quantum computing risks.
Professor Sala from the University of Trento in Italy worked with Ripple’s team during a university lecture series. He talked about how blockchain technology, encryption, and quantum computing all work together.
Sala warned that the security methods used by modern blockchain networks could soon be broken by quantum computers, which would be very bad for the blockchains as a whole. He talked about how quantum computers might be able to break down the very roots of digital signatures, which would make it harder for blockchain platforms to protect user assets.
Quantum Threats, Ripple Reacts
This imagined event, called “Q-day,” imagines the time when quantum computers will be powerful enough and easy enough to get into that they can be used for bad things, breaking current data encryption systems. Critical areas like healthcare, banking, emergency services, and national security would be affected. It would also mess up the worlds of bitcoin and blockchain by showing holes in smart contracts, digital wallets, and the infrastructure that supports them.
Sala’s study pushed for replacing old-fashioned public-key crypto systems with ones that can’t be broken by quantum attacks. The worry comes from the idea that new quantum computers or programs might be able to break encryption keys just by using a lot of computing power.
Future quantum dangers could even destroy Bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency and blockchain. Current cryptographic algorithms, like the ones used in Bitcoin, are too hard for classical computers to handle. However, quantum computers have so much working power that these algorithms might not work anymore.
Even though there isn’t a real quantum computer that can do these things yet, governments and scientific organizations around the world are getting ready for Q-day. Sala acknowledged these worries but said that the outcome might not happen right away.
He talked about technical problems that make it hard to do secure transfers, such as the need for more computing power and more data. Still, Sala was positive about the ongoing study that is being done to improve these implementations so that they can be used in real life.
Sala praised efforts for international cooperation, such as the standardization process lead by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to improve cryptographic standards that can’t be broken by quantum computers. He stressed how important it was for the community to carefully test new plans to make them more reliable and safe.
Sala also suggested that modern cryptography methods be added to regular school lessons so that future pros can learn about new problems in their field. Sala agreed that the chances of Ripple threats happening soon are probably not very high, but he stressed how important it is to take precautions to lower the risks.
