Is Solana safe from quantum computers? A plain explanation
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Not on its own. Solana wallets sign with Ed25519, which a large enough quantum computer could break with Shor's algorithm. No such computer exists today. Post-quantum signatures like ML-DSA (a US standard since August 2024) are designed to resist that attack.
What a signature does
When you send coins, your wallet signs the transaction with your private key. Everyone can check the signature with your public key, but nobody can fake it without the private key.
The quantum threat
Shor's algorithm, run on a big and stable quantum computer, could work out a private key from a public key for Ed25519 and similar systems. Today's quantum machines are far too small and noisy for that. Nobody knows exactly when, or if, that changes.
Post-quantum signatures
- ML-DSA-65: the official US standard (NIST FIPS 204, August 2024). Bigger keys and signatures: about 1,952 and 3,309 bytes.
- Falcon-512: smaller signatures, more complex to implement.
- Ed25519 today: 32-byte keys, 64-byte signatures. Small and fast, but not quantum-safe.
What it means for $MAIGA
$MAIGA is a token on Solana, so it is exactly as quantum-safe as Solana itself. If Solana moves to post-quantum signatures, tokens on it follow.
In the Quantum Lab you can sign a message with Ed25519 and with the post-quantum algorithms, right in your browser, and compare sizes and speed.
Questions
Can a quantum computer steal crypto today?
No. Current quantum computers are far too small to break Ed25519.
Is $MAIGA quantum-safe?
Only as safe as Solana. It has no extra quantum protection of its own.