Ep 50 - Future-proofing Blockchains with a Quantum Resistant Ledger backed by Extended Merkle Signature Scheme (XMSS)

This episode of LAB Radio was a part of our coverage of
CryptoBlockcon where Chris Groshong interviewed Adam Koltun, Lead
Business Strategist of Quantum Resistant Ledger (QRL).


Chris Groshong (left), CEO of CoinStructive Inc, and Adam Koltun
(right), Lead Business Strategist of Quantum Resistant Ledger
(QRL)


As Adam so eloquently put it in their recap blog post,
the conference itself was a cornucopia of very different
industries squished together in an expansive venue:


"The event was held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and
Casino. In addition to CBC, the MLB Winter Meetings, and
a National Finals Rodeo competition was being held
nearby, so many of the competitors were staying at Mandalay Bay.
Certainly, literal cowboys, baseball executives and blockchain
enthusiasts rubbing shoulders made for some interesting
juxtapositions. As much as those of us within the industry can
sometimes get weary of terms like “adoption” or “mainstream” or
“awareness” — moments like these serve as an eloquent reminder,
to me, that blockchain/cryptocurrency are still completely
unknown to large swaths of American society, at least. It’s
useful, I find, to sometimes recognize that for all the drama
this space can sometimes produce, that in the long-run, these are
minor speedbumps that will be hardly (if at all) remembered by
the vast majority of crypto users within the next 10 years."


As stated on their website:


"The Quantum Resistant Ledger (QRL) is a first of its kind,
future-proof post quantum value store and decentralized
communication layer which tackles the threat Quantum Computing
will pose to cryptocurrencies.


This is backed by provably secure,
peer-reviewed XMSS (instead of 256-bit ECDSA) with a
proof-of-work(POW) algorithm, Cryptonight v7, which will later be
hard forked to Proof of Stake."


QRL aims to future proof the Blockchain from Quantum
computing through peer-reviewed and proven precursors like
Extended Merkle Signature Scheme (EMSS):


"QRL provides a blockchain that is resistant to both conventional
and quantum computing attacks. The future of the internet will be
built on decentralized protocols and abstraction layers, and we
plan on being ready for that future, as well as any sudden
quantum computing development (“Y2Q”) that may usher in that
reality sooner than expected.


Our blockchain will utilize the previously vetted, provably
secure Extended Merkle Signature Scheme (XMSS) to ensure that our
network is resistant to quantum computing attacks. We aim to
secure our network against not only the inevitability of quantum
computing, and all that implies for the blockchain and
cryptocurrency space, but also the potential for a black swan
event to rapidly and irreversibly advance the technology with no
immediate warning.


By utilizing an address format that allows us to change hash
functions down the line if necessary, we have created a
blockchain that is both secure today and adaptable tomorrow."


For show notes and more visit: LAB Radio