ABSTRACT The infiltration of counterfeit, fraudulent, and suspect items into civil nuclear supply chains, notably within power generation and medical isotope production, poses severe safety and security threats. The ever‐increasing growth in nuclear installations (70 power plants are under construction and another 100 are in the planning stage) and the associated supply chain will further expand this threat, leading to compromised system integrity and a heightened risk of operational failures. This perspective article explores the technological synergies between emerging blockchain and quantum technologies to mitigate these vulnerabilities. Specifically, the paper examines how permissioned and hybrid blockchain models, combined with quantum key distribution, quantum random number generators, and post‐quantum cryptography, can enhance traceability, provenance verification, data integrity, and secure communications across the supply chain. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks, practical implementation strategies, and emerging real‐world case studies, including those from analogous critical sectors, the article analytically examines the technological potential and specific applications of these advanced technologies. A forward‐looking roadmap outlines essential technical steps and addresses the inherent technical challenges and opportunities necessary for effective integration of these solutions, ultimately proposing a robust, transparent, and quantum‐resilient nuclear supply chain for the future.
ABSTRACT The infiltration of counterfeit, fraudulent, and suspect items into civil nuclear supply chains, notably within power generation and medical isotope production, poses severe safety and security threats. The ever‐increasing growth in nuclear installations (70 power plants are under construction and another 100 are in the planning stage) and the associated supply chain will further expand this threat, leading to compromised system integrity and a heightened risk of operational failures. This perspective article explores the technological synergies between emerging blockchain and quantum technologies to mitigate these vulnerabilities. Specifically, the paper examines how permissioned and hybrid blockchain models, combined with quantum key distribution, quantum random number generators, and post‐quantum cryptography, can enhance traceability, provenance verification, data integrity, and secure communications across the supply chain. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks, practical implementation strategies, and emerging real‐world case studies, including those from analogous critical sectors, the article analytically examines the technological potential and specific applications of these advanced technologies. A forward‐looking roadmap outlines essential technical steps and addresses the inherent technical challenges and opportunities necessary for effective integration of these solutions, ultimately proposing a robust, transparent, and quantum‐resilient nuclear supply chain for the future.
The cybersecurity challenges are posed increasingly by sophisticated cyberattacks in the context of blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), and the digital world. Highlighting the vulnerabilities in current systems, particularly within supply chains, the paper emphasizes the urgent need for robust cyber-resilience. It examines the potential of quantum cryptography, specifically quantum key distribution (QKD), to provide theoretically unbreakable encryption, addressing the limitations of traditional cryptographic methods. Furthermore, the paper discusses the role of blockchain technology in ensuring data security and integrity through its immutability and decentralized nature. Finally, it addresses the security risks associated with IoT implementation in supply chains and advocates for a multi-layered security approach combining encryption, monitoring, and blockchain integration to mitigate these risks.
The emergence of quantum computing poses a significant threat to the security of blockchain protocols, primarily due to the vulnerability of current cryptographic algorithms to quantum attacks. This vulnerability jeopardizes the integrity of data and assets stored on blockchain networks, which currently hold hundreds of billions of dollars in cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. To mitigate this risk, various proposals and solutions have been presented in the literature. However, most existing proposals are either theoretical, rely on large quantum key distribution (QKD) networks, or advocate for the development of new quantumresistant blockchain networks from scratch. Despite the understanding of the quantum threat and potential solutions, practical implementations are scarce. A recent survey paper addresses this gap by proposing an end-to-end framework for achieving postquantum resistance in existing blockchain networks. The framework, outlined in the survey, is compatible with Ethereum-based networks and offers practical solutions for key generation, secure communication between nodes, and transaction verification. Notably, the framework utilizes quantum entropy for key generation, and post-quantum TLS connections, and introduces post-quantum signatures in transactions. Additionally, it incorporates on-chain verification mechanisms using Solidity smart contracts and modified EVM Opcode. This chapter represents a significant contribution to the field by providing a comprehensive overview of existing solutions and proposing a practical framework for enhancing blockchain security against quantum threats.
The integration of blockchain with hybrid cryptographic models was redefining the security paradigm for decentralized energy transactions. As energy infrastructures increasingly adopt digital and distributed ledger technologies, ensuring data integrity, confidentiality, and resilience against emerging cyber threats was paramount. Conventional cryptographic mechanisms employed in blockchain networks face significant vulnerabilities, particularly with the advent of quantum computing. Hybrid cryptographic models, which combine classical cryptographic techniques with post-quantum security frameworks, offer a viable solution to address these challenges. This chapter explores the key challenges associated with implementing blockchain-based hybrid cryptographic models, including computational overhead, interoperability constraints, security vulnerabilities, and scalability concerns. It also examines the future prospects of integrating quantum-resistant cryptographic techniques such as lattice-based cryptography, hash-based signatures, and quantum key distribution (QKD) to enhance blockchain security. It highlights the role of advanced key management strategies and optimized consensus mechanisms in ensuring efficient and secure energy transactions. By bridging blockchain technology with quantum-secure cryptographic advancements, this study provides a comprehensive outlook on the evolution of decentralized security frameworks for energy systems, paving the way for robust, scalable, and future-proof solutions.
The fast improvement of quantum computing technology has been the starting point of both excitement and apprehension across various industries. This review paper explores the intricate interplay between block chain technology, quantum cryptography along with post quantum cryptography to resist the quantum computers, focusing on their congregating paths and the implications for the future of secure and decentralized systems. Block chain, foreshadowed for its potential to reform trust and data integrity, relies on cryptographic primitives that could be fundamentally challenged by the exponential computational power of quantum computers. This abstract dive into the lacunas quantum computers might raise to the now available cryptographic methods applied in block chains, such as public key cryptography, hashing algorithms, and digital signatures. It underlines the urgent nature for the block chain community to work out quantum-proof cryptographic solutions to protect the long-term security of block chain networks. Lastly, this review paper provides a very characteristic view upon the complex and complicated relationship between blockchain, post quantum cryptography and quantum cryptography, showcasing the serious and unraveling need to address security concerns related to transactions and everything that blockchain is involved in while also capitalizing on the vast pool of innovative potential that the convergence of this giant of technical world carry among themselves. The future will definitely be a witness of a dynamic and vibrant interaction of challenges and opportunities discuss further in this review paper as these two future leading giants will continue to shape the digital and cyber world.
The maritime services sector is increasingly digitized to improve operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability. However, this digital transformation also exposes the industry to significant cybersecurity risks, such as data breaches, hacking, and disruptions to navigation systems. Addressing these vulnerabilities is crucial to maintaining the integrity and safety of maritime operations. This paper explores the application of quantum random generation for quantum blockchain technology, enhanced with advanced quantum random number generation, as a robust solution to these cybersecurity challenges. By utilizing the Barkhausen effect for generating high-quality random numbers [2][6], and integrating Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) [4], this approach provides a fortified defense against cyber threats, including those posed by future quantum computing technologies.
Healthcare systems are increasingly data-driven through EHRs, telemedicine, and IoT-based medical devices. However, cyber threats, poor interoperability, and data tampering expose the vulnerabilities of centralized systems. Blockchain offers immutability and transparency, yet its traditional cryptography faces risks from quantum computing, which can compromise existing encryption. To address this, the chapter proposes a quantum-enhanced blockchain framework integrating post-quantum cryptography (PQC), quantum key distribution (QKD), and hybrid quantum-classical consensus. The model strengthens confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) of healthcare data while ensuring interoperability and regulatory compliance. Key applications include secure EHR and genomic data management, automated patient consent handling, transparent drug supply chain monitoring, and protection of clinical research. The chapter also discusses ethical, technical, and regulatory challenges, offering insights into building resilient, quantum-secure healthcare ecosystems.