Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNGs) produce high-quality randomness derived from quantum phenomena, offering strong security assurances. However, relying on a single QRNG device centralizes trust and creates a single point of failure. This paper presents a decentralized architecture integrating multiple geographically distributed QRNG nodes using the Kirk network's quantum and classical channels. We incorporate Post-Quantum Verifiable Random Functions (PQ-VRFs), threshold secret sharing, and Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) consensus protocols to ensure unbiased, verifiable, and tamper-resistant randomness. We detail a blockchain oracle system that transforms quantum-secure keys into various blockchain-compatible formats (Ethereum, Bitcoin, Polkadot), creating a future-proof, monetizable service for quantum-era blockchain infrastructures.
Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNGs) produce high-quality randomness derived from quantum phenomena, offering strong security assurances. However, relying on a single QRNG device centralizes trust and creates a single point of failure. This paper presents a decentralized architecture integrating multiple geographically distributed QRNG nodes using the Kirk network's quantum and classical channels. We incorporate Post-Quantum Verifiable Random Functions (PQ-VRFs), threshold secret sharing, and Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) consensus protocols to ensure unbiased, verifiable, and tamper-resistant randomness. We detail a blockchain oracle system that transforms quantum-secure keys into various blockchain-compatible formats (Ethereum, Bitcoin, Polkadot), creating a future-proof, monetizable service for quantum-era blockchain infrastructures.
As 6G networks are about to serve billions of devices, secure and reliable authentication is a key challenge. Conventional authentication solutions are under attack from both centralized and future quantum computing threats. This paper introduces a new authentication protocol that incorporates randomness generated by quantum mechanics and blockchain technology to achieve a lightweight, decentralized, and post-quantum secure solution for 6G scenarios. Each device creates a truly random key from a Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG), and this key is then securely stored on a blockchain in hashed form. When the device tries to join the network, its key is checked against the blockchain ledger to provide for one-time, tamper- evident authentication without the need for centralized servers. The protocol is designed to support smart contracts for expiry and revocation of keys, rendering it appropriate for dense and highly dynamic 6G networks. Our system provides increased security, immunity against future quantum attacks, and efficient scaling for IoT, healthcare, and autonomous communication systems.
A trustworthy source of randomness is a crucial component of many decentralized and crypto-based application systems, especially blockchain consensus. A decentralized random beacon (DRB) periodically outputs a new source of randomness generated using a distributed technique, such as publicly verifiable secret sharing (PVSS) or distributed verifiable random functions (VRFs). These protocols offer a variety of efficiency versus randomness quality tradeoffs, but guarantee security under a variety of configurations, assumptions, and adversarial models. This article aims to provide a future-proof unbiased decentralized randomness (abbreviated as Funder) via a post-quantum threshold VRF for sustainable proof-of-stake blockchain. We also provide a generic compiler for achieving post-quantum VRF from a classical VRF solution, but our approach makes use of symmetric-key primitives Our novel compiler is validated and evaluated using the ZKBoo and ZKB++ quantum-secure zero-knowledge systems, respectively. The implementation of the proof-of-concept demonstrates that the overheads introduced by our solution are acceptable for real-world deployments even in the present day. In addition, we demonstrate the protocol’s possible application in lottery-based proof-of-stake consensus protocols.
A verifiable random function (VRF in short) is a powerful pseudo-random function that provides a non-interactively public verifiable proof for the correctness of its output. Recently, VRFs have found essential applications in blockchain design, such as random beacons and proof-of-stake consensus protocols. To our knowledge, the first generation of blockchain systems used inherently inefficient proof-of-work consensuses, and the research community tried to achieve the same properties by proposing proof-of-stake schemes where resource-intensive proof-of-work is emulated by cryptographic constructions. Unfortunately, those most discussed proof-of-stake consensuses (e.g., Algorand and Ouroborous family) are not future-proof because the building blocks are secure only under the classical hard assumptions; in particular, their designs ignore the advent of quantum computing and its implications. In this paper, we propose a generic compiler to obtain the post-quantum VRF from the simple VRF solution using symmetric-key primitives (e.g., non-interactive zero-knowledge system) with an intrinsic property of quantum-secure. Our novel solution is realized via two efficient zero-knowledge systems ZKBoo and ZKB++, respectively, to validate the compiler correctness. Our proof-of-concept implementation indicates that even today, the overheads introduced by our solution are acceptable in real-world deployments. We also demonstrate potential applications of a quantum-secure VRF, such as quantum-secure decentralized random beacon and lottery-based proof of stake consensus blockchain protocol.
Quantum computing is progressing at a fast rate and there is a real threat that classical cryptographic methods can be compromised and therefore impact the security of blockchain networks. All of the ways used to secure blockchain like Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA), Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) and Secure Hash Algorithm 256-bit (SHA256) are the characteristic of the traditional cryptographic techniques vulnerable to attack by quantum algorithms: Shor’s and Grover’s algorithms: can efficiently break asymmetric encryption and speed up brute force attacks. Because of this vulnerability, there exists a need to develop an advance quantum resilient blockchain framework to protect the decentralized ledgers from the future threats of the quantum. This research proposes Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and Quantum Random Number Generation (QRNG) as a formidable architectural integration, to fortify security of blockchain. Classical encryption is replaced with PQC, QKD with secure key exchange by detecting eavesdropping, and QRNG with improving cryptographic randomness to remove the predictable key vulnerability. Only with a small loss of transaction efficiency, we increase transaction encryption accuracy, key exchange security, and resistance to quantum attacks. In this quantum enhanced blockchain design, the idea is to preserve the decentralization, transparency and security and at the same time overcome the future quantum threat. By going through rigorous analysis and comparative evaluation, we demonstrate that the approach saves blockchain networks from the emerging quantum risks to make sure that the decentralized finance, smart contracts and cross chain transactions.
Quantum random number (QRNG) beacons distinguish themselves from classical counterparts by providing intrinsic unpredictability originating from the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics. Most demonstrations have focused on certifiable randomness generators to guarantee the public that their genuineness is independent from imperfect implementations. These efforts however do not benefit applications where multiple distrusted users need a common set of random numbers, as they must rely on the honesty of beacon owners. In this paper, we formally introduce a design and proof-of-principle experiment of the first consensus protocol producing QRNs in a decentralized environment (dQRNG). Such protocol allows N number of participants contribute in the generation process and publicly verify numbers they collect. Security of the protocol is guaranteed given(N-1) dishonest participants. Our method is thus suited for distribute systems that requires a bias-resistant, highly secure, and public-verifiable random beacon.
Blockchain systems built on classical cryptography face immediate risks from large-scale quantum computers, while purely quantum-based blockchains often rely on a single Private Key Generator (PKG) and incur heavy resource overheads. To overcome these issues, this paper proposes a hybrid quantum and post-quantum blockchain approach that removes single points of trust by using Distributed Key Generation and a dual-layer signature mechanism. This method integrates quantum digital signatures, rooted in the Fully Flipped Permutation problem, with classical post-quantum (lattice-based) cryptography, enabling users to switch between quantum and classical signatures according to security requirements and channel conditions. Delegated Proof-of-Stake with node behavior and Borda count has been incorporated to manage consensus, ensuring that witness nodes are regularly re-elected and malicious actors are penalized by distributing secret shares among multiple rotating witnesses. We eliminate the central vulnerability of a sole PKG while maintaining rigorous resistance to collusions. Our analytical model indicates that a fraction of transactions can use quantum signatures without system-wide bottlenecks, while the remaining transactions follow classical PQC paths with throughput approaching classical baselines under our modeling assumptions. Consequently, this hybrid method offers higher scalability, robust collusion resistance, and long-term security even under quantum-capable adversaries. This paper presents extensive theoretical analyses, probability models, and algorithmic complexities, demonstrating that our design provides resilient infrastructure that meets the key performance and security requirements of next-generation blockchain systems.