Point of Focus

• Ethereum researchers have developed a quantum-resistant signature verification system.
• This system can run on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) without requiring a hard fork.
• Hash-based cryptography is considered one of the most conservative post-quantum approaches.

Ethereum users may soon be able to protect their wallets against future quantum computing attacks for as little as $0.07 per transaction, according to new research from Ethereum cryptography contributors.

The researchers claim they have developed a post-quantum signature verification system that operates directly on Ethereum’s existing infrastructure, eliminating the need for a network upgrade or hard fork.

The proposed system, based on a cryptographic scheme called SPHINCS-, reportedly requires about 150,000 gas per transaction, which translates to roughly seven cents at current network fees.

If adopted, the approach could provide Ethereum users with a practical path toward quantum-resistant security as concerns grow that advances in quantum computing may eventually threaten the elliptic curve cryptography that currently secures Ethereum and Bitcoin wallets.

New signature scheme runs on Ethereum without protocol changes

The researchers’ primary goal was to create a quantum-resistant signature system that works within Ethereum’s current execution environment without requiring protocol-level modifications.

The solution is based on SPHINCS+, a hash-based cryptographic signature scheme standardized by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Instead of relying on the traditional SHAKE256 hash function used in standard SPHINCS+, the team adapted the design to use Ethereum’s native KECCAK256 hash function.

Ethereum can already start preparing accounts for a post quantum world, without waiting for a hard fork.

Today, it would be just 0.07$ .

Further audits incoming. Though I squeezed in a review with Fable before Uncle Sam crashed my party. Verity formal proof included for my…

— Nico (@ncsgy) June 13, 2026

Because KECCAK256 is already supported by the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), the approach allows post-quantum signature verification to be performed entirely on-chain.

“Our goal is simple: minimize pure on-chain verification cost without relying on a precompile or a protocol change,” the researchers wrote.

According to the paper, a Solidity implementation can verify a standardized-style post-quantum signature for approximately 150,000 gas, making the technology practical for real-world Ethereum applications today.

Researchers optimize for blockchain wallets

The project focuses on a key limitation of existing post-quantum systems: efficiency.

Traditional SPHINCS+ was designed with an extremely large signature capacity of 2⁶⁴ signatures per key, far exceeding the needs of most blockchain users. Ethereum wallets, by comparison, typically generate only a few hundred transactions annually.

To improve performance, the researchers reduced the signature budget while optimizing parameters specifically for blockchain use cases. Their most efficient variant, known as C13, achieves verification costs of around 127,000 gas while maintaining 128-bit security and producing signatures of approximately 3.7 kilobytes.

The team also explored trade-offs between signature size, signing speed, security levels, and verification costs, ultimately concluding that specialized wallet-focused configurations can dramatically reduce on-chain expenses compared with standard post-quantum schemes.

Quantum readiness becomes a growing Ethereum priority

The research arrives as Ethereum developers increasingly discuss how the network should prepare for a future quantum computing era.

Hash-based signatures are viewed by many cryptographers as an attractive post-quantum option because their security depends primarily on hash functions rather than newer mathematical assumptions used in some lattice-based systems.

https://t.co/fDjHz0HJAH

— Etherealize (@Etherealize_io) April 2, 2026

The authors acknowledge that SPHINCS- is not yet a formal standard and differs from NIST’s official implementation. However, they argue it could serve as a practical bridge until more advanced quantum-resistant solutions become available.

Looking ahead, researchers envision even cheaper verification through future protocol-level aggregation systems. A proposed architecture combining post-quantum signatures with recursive STARK proofs could potentially reduce verification costs to as little as 3,000 gas, though such solutions would require additional infrastructure and standardization.