Stellar lays out quantum-proof plan — but dormant accounts remain biggest headache
Stellar has published a detailed Quantum Preparedness Plan that maps a phased migration of the network to quantum-safe cryptography, with a target to complete the transition by the end of 2027. The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) says it will solicit community input on a thorny issue: how to handle thousands of dormant accounts and whether any recovery mechanisms for them are feasible.
Why the rush? The looming threat is Shor’s algorithm — a theoretical quantum attack that, if run on sufficiently powerful quantum hardware, can break elliptic curve cryptography, the signature scheme that secures Stellar and most other blockchains today. Recent progress has sharpened the timeline: researchers at INRIA have lowered the logical qubit estimates needed to attack 256-bit elliptic curves, and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated its risk window to 2029 or earlier. Google has also signaled a push toward post-quantum readiness by 2029. In short: experts now see quantum as a question of “when,” not “if.”
Two core risks for Stellar
- Validator compromise: If validator signatures are broken, network consensus could be destabilized.
- Account takeover: A quantum adversary could derive a private key from a public key and seize accounts — a tougher problem because thousands of Stellar accounts are inactive.
Most chains bind an address directly to a public key, meaning a quantum-safe migration often forces users to move funds to new addresses. Stellar’s architecture gives it an advantage: account addresses are separate from the signing keys. Users can add or swap signers using the existing set_options operation without changing their account address, balances, or history. That design could make Stellar’s migration smoother than many peers — but dormant accounts still pose a scale problem for account recovery.
Three-stage rollout
- Stage 1 (2026): Add post-quantum signature verification to Soroban smart contracts. The plan specifies NIST-standard algorithms ML-DSA-44 and ML-DSA-65 for signature verification, enabling enterprise wallets and dApps to begin migration.
- Stage 2 (2027): Introduce quantum-safe signer types natively to classic accounts via a Core Advancement Proposal, allowing all users to add post-quantum signers alongside their existing keys.
- Stage 3 (TBD): Deprecate the old Ed25519 signer standard. The date for this depends on how quantum computing and the broader ecosystem evolve.
Open questions and next steps
The plan does not yet cover everything. Zero-knowledge proof systems deployed on Stellar use pairing-based curves that are also vulnerable to quantum attacks; the SDF acknowledges this area needs more research and will collaborate with ZK protocol teams to address it. The foundation is also explicitly seeking community feedback on policies for dormant accounts and whether any recovery or migration options are practical at scale.
Bottom line: Stellar has a structured, multi-year path to post-quantum security that leverages its flexible signer model, but resolving the fate of inactive accounts and adapting ZK systems remain unresolved pieces of the puzzle.
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