Sufyan Al-Janabi

Blockchain (BC) as a distributed ledger technology is getting more and more recognition in modern network technologies that are moving away from centralized toward decentralized management. However, the blockchain’s security is built on the computational complexity of certain mathematical problems that cannot be solved on existing “classical” computers in an acceptable time. Nevertheless, quantum computers have the capability to effortlessly solve such problems with a significant reduction in time. The current blockchain technology relies on two main computational constructions; digital signatures and cryptographic hash functions. Both of them are threatened by the quantum computers. In this work, we report on the quantum threats to “classical” blockchain technology. The main directions to produce quantum-resistant blockchain (QB) platforms are reviewed with an emphasis on approaches based on Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). Then, some notable challenges in implementing QBs are discussed. Indeed, the future research directions in this field are identified.

Classical Blockchain, Post Quantum Cryptography, Quantum Key Distribution, Quantum Blockchain, Quantum Threat