Post-quantum security for Cardano accounts 🛡

[GENERAL] Name and Surname of Main Applicant

Pierre-Luc Dallaire-Demers

[GENERAL] Email address of Main Applicant

pierre-luc@pauli.group

Additional Applicants

William Doyle (william.doyle@pauli.group)

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

6

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

No

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.” in this field.

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project outputs be fully Open Source?

Yes

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.” in this field.

Project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of Proposal

Other

[METADATA] SDG rating

#9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

We will research the performance trade-offs between approaches to quantum secure accounts, identify additional critical infrastructure that may need to be upgraded, and produce recommendations for how to proceed.

Cardano has a unique implementation which will need to be considered when upgrading its cryptographic primitives. 

We will primarily consider various NIST approved schemes such as FALCON or CRYSTALS-DILITHIUM.

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

Quantum secure accounts will increase confidence among institutional investors. They will also make Cardano the obvious choice for building wealth over long time periods.

Of course they will also keep Cardano open for business while chains with no governance system will fail to upgrade to post-quantum cryptography.

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

We would consider this project successful if our report leads to quantum secure accounts being implemented in Cardano. Another metric for success would be getting more community members to take this problem seriously and the formation of a post-quantum upgrade task-force.

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

The primary output of this project is a paper which describes various approaches and considerations to account for when upgrading Cardano to post-quantum cryptography. This paper will be made freely available to all.

We also plan to post regular video updates detailing our progress. Frequent drafts will also be shared with the community.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

Pauli Group is a self-funded company which has been focused on the problem of upgrading blockchains with post-quantum cryptography on the Ethereum side for over a year now.

In that year we have learnt a lot about the problem we are proposing to solve. Our LAMB whitepaper outlines our approach for EVM blockchains. While that paper is not an appropriate solution for Cardano it is a demonstration of our understanding of the problem.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

1. Identify vulnerabilities - we will look at the full stack of Cardano and identify ways in which a quantum equipped adversary could wreak havo
2. Draft solutions by looking at the requirements of each component in the system and finding appropriate replacement
3. Identify consequences of drafted solutions - we will identify ways in which solutions impact user experience. Will a potential solution drive up gas costs? Or increase the burden on SPOs? Do UTxOs need to be managed in any particular way?

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

The larger milestones will include:

• The report is presented to the community
• A solution is implemented on a Testnet
• A solution is implemented on Mainnet
• A majority of the stake in Cardano is held by quantum secure accounts

The milestones relevant to writing this report include:

• Initial research
• Initial draft
• Internal revisions
• Peer Review
• Presentation to the community

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

Initial research - the deliverable here may be as simple as a google doc where we keep notes and organize our research.

Initial draft - an initial rough version of our draft can be made available to the community

Internal revisions - an updated draft will be released

Peer Review - the community will be informed when we pass peer review

Presentation to the community - we will host an online meeting where we will formally present our findings and our advice for how to proceed.

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

The majority of this budget is compensation for technical research work.

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The money allocated for this project is an investment in the long-term viability of the Cardano blockchain. We believe the Cardano community can lead the blockchain ecosystem in future-proofing its cryptographic infrastructures.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.

I Accept