A deep technical exploration of how quantum computers threaten Bitcoin's elliptic curve cryptography, and how hash-based signature (HBS) schemes could serve as quantum-resistant replacements. Covers the quantum threat landscape across Bitcoin address types (P2PKH, P2TR, BIP32), then systematically analyzes Lamport, WOTS/WOTS+/WOTS+C, HORS/HORST, FORS/FORS+C/FORC, MSS/XMSS, and SPHINCS+ schemes with detailed size/performance tradeoffs. Proposes using hash-based cryptography as a fallback mechanism for Bitcoin clients without requiring near-term consensus changes.
Table of contents
Hashed Output TypesP2TR OutputsNote on MultisigNote on BIP32Lamport SignaturesWinternitz One-Time Signatures (WOTS)Hash to Obtain Random Subsets (HORS)Forest of Random Subsets (FORS)Merkle Signature Scheme (MSS)SPINCS+AnalysisUPDATE 2024-12-16Digests as Secret Keys (DASK)ConclusionMore ResourcesSort: