As concerns grow that advancements in quantum technology could ultimately jeopardize existing blockchain privacy systems, developers behind the Tezos ecosystem have launched a testnet prototype for private blockchain payments, designed to withstand future quantum computing attacks.

According to Tezos, this prototype, named TzEL, uses post-quantum cryptography and zk-STARK proofs to protect transaction data and encrypted payment metadata from the threat of "collect first, decrypt later" attacks, meaning that encrypted blockchain data collected today could be decrypted in the future.

The prototype also uses Tezos' data availability layer to handle the larger proof sizes associated with post-quantum cryptography. The developers stated that this has consistently been one of the major technical hurdles in building scalable on-chain quantum-resistant privacy systems.

Source: Tezos

According to the project's white paper, the quantum-resistant zk-STARK proof used by TzEL is approximately 300KB in size, significantly larger than the privacy proofs commonly used in existing blockchain systems.

TzEL is currently live on the Tezos testnet and is still under development, while the broader Tezos (XTZ) ecosystem is still in the early stages of transitioning to post-quantum cryptography.

The crypto industry is accelerating its post-quantum security strategy.

During April, the crypto industry intensified its preparations for the risks of quantum computing, and market concerns about the long-term security of blockchain cryptographic systems continued to rise.

Two major validator clients on the Solana (SOL) network have launched a beta version of Falcon, a post-quantum signature system designed to help protect the blockchain from future quantum threats while minimizing performance trade-offs.

At the same time, MARA Holdings established the MARA Foundation to support the development of the Bitcoin network, including research into countermeasures against quantum security.

Source: MARA Holdings

Coinbase researchers also stated that Algorand (ALGO) and Aptos (APT) appear to be further prepared for potential quantum threats, noting that they are working to integrate quantum-resistant cryptography into their respective networks.

However, researchers warn that proof-of-stake blockchains may face greater exposure to quantum computing risks due to the signature system used by network validators.

According to Bernstein researchers, the crypto industry has about three to five years to transition to quantum-resistant cryptographic standards before quantum computing poses a threat to the security of Bitcoin (BTC).

However, not everyone agrees with this assessment. In May, Adam Back, an early cypherpunk and Bitcoin contributor, stated that a computer capable of cracking Bitcoin signatures might not appear for at least another 20 years.