The blockchain ecosystem is accelerating its preparations for future threats that quantum computers may pose. A new development that draws attention in this field in the industry came to the fore in the report published by BNB Chain’s research unit, which revealed important results, especially in terms of network performance. Simulations and system changes made to move the security of Binance Smart Chain into the post-quantum era shed light on how the chain can adapt to the future.
Quantum-Resistant Signatures and Network Performance
In the report, going beyond known signature algorithms, the testing of a new generation quantum-resistant signature system called ML-DSA-44 and the pqSTARK collective signature technology was discussed. Although there is no real threat of attack yet, these preparations are considered as part of BSC’s plan to replace traditional encryption methods such as ECDSA and BLS with higher security systems in the future.
In current blockchain transactions, signature sizes remain quite small. However, with the transition to ML-DSA-44, this rate increases significantly. For example, a classic BSC transaction is currently on the order of 110 bytes, while with the new algorithm the same transaction reaches approximately 2.5 KB. Block sizes also increase from 130 KB to almost 2 MB on average.
The most striking result of this growth was the decrease in network performance. Tests showed a 40 to 50 percent reduction in the chain’s operating capacity because large blocks took longer to propagate through the network. Additionally, delays occurred in the finalization of interregional transactions; This difference was felt more clearly, especially during busy times.
The Core Problem Isn’t Consensus, It’s Data Migration
Researchers state that the bottleneck does not arise from the chain’s consensus system, but that the real problem is related to the size of the data spread across the network. Although validators’ signature data could be reduced by approximately 43 times thanks to pqSTARK compression, the large transaction and block volume increased the total data exponentially. So, ultimately, transaction security has increased, but the efficient operation of the network requires more resources.
The report draws attention to the statement, “The biggest performance loss was not due to the consensus itself, but to the difficulty of the network in circulating larger data faster.”
Security and Long-Term Preparedness
The reason why BNB Chain chose ML-DSA-44 in this project was that its security was deemed sufficient and its signature size and verification speed were more advantageous in practice compared to its alternatives. Thus, it is aimed to maintain performance at a certain level in chains with high transaction volume.
Developers agree that quantum computers are currently unable to practically break the encryption of large networks such as Bitcoin or BSC, so there is no risk to users in the near term. It is emphasized that the main goal of the research is to prepare the industry for technology in the face of possible risks.
However, the report’s findings suggest that significant updates to the chains’ data processing and scaling capacity will be required in the long term. The industry will need to find solutions to preserve living network performance while adopting post-quantum cryptographic standards.
