Domain Specific Post Quantum Signatures for Blockchains

Abstract

Blockchains need more than post quantum single signer signatures. They need consensus profiled authentication objects with canonical bytes, priced invalid input rejection, stable transaction identifiers, hybrid downgrade resistance, public aggregation, merge semantics, accountable signer evidence, forward secure committee rotation, and light client consequences. We argue for domain specific post quantum signatures for blockchain roles, analogously to how hash function engineering produced domain specific primitives for hash table DoS and arithmetized proof systems. We formalize transaction authorization and quorum certificate requirements, instantiate them on Bitcoin, Ethereum, and a Sei Giga style high throughput BFT stress profile, and evaluate ML-DSA, SLH-DSA, Falcon/FN-DSA, HAWK, MAYO, SNOVA, UOV/QR-UOV, FAEST, SQIsign, LaBRADOR Falcon, Squirrel, Chipmunk, and DKKW/LeanSig. We find that NIST single signer signatures are necessary components, yet none of the current schemes is a sufficient drop in replacement for the signature layer of modern public blockchains. The missing object is a consensus ready post quantum signature profile, not another generic size table.

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