Abstract

Two of the most significant arising technological advancements currently underway that are showing an ever-increasing spread both in industrial and academic areas, are the blockchains and the advent of quantum computing. Since, blockchains have dramatically advanced in the recent years and have found numerous applications in many fields with the expectation to significantly enhance their security, the conundrum related to the quantum threat and the implementation of post-quantum signatures in blockchains is a trending topic in nowadays scientific community. As any product that is based on cryptographic primitives, this technology is influenced by the advent of quantum computing, since they are not essentially different from other resilient and secure applications in such regard. This chapter provides the theoretical support of the recent developments in the area of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) aiming at the incorporation of secure cryptographic primitives to the blockchain technology. For this reason, the chapter assesses contemporary PQC algorithms and presents the current situation of the NIST–s 3rd round PQC candidates. In addition, it demonstrates the impact of quantum-computing on blockchains and it investigates the incorporation of PQC primitives to the various blockchain platforms. Therefore, this chapter aims to provide guidelines and demonstrate the challenges to both researchers and industry regarding the implementation of post-quantum algorithms in blockchain applications.