Securing the Ledger Against
Quantum Supremacy

A strategic analysis of implementing Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) in Hyperledger Fabric. Exploring the shift from ECDSA/RSA to Lattice-based signatures and the architectural adaptations required for survival in the
post-quantum era.

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Executive Summary

  • ☞ The Risk: Shor's algorithm threatens ECDSA signatures used in Fabric MSPs. 2035 is the estimated deadline for RSA-2048 viability.
  • ☞ The Solution: Migration to NIST finalists: CRYSTALS-Dilithium (Balanced) or Falcon (Fast Verify).
  • ☞ The Cost: PQC signatures are ~100x larger. Throughput (TPS) may drop by 50-70%.
  • ☞ The Fix: Hybrid architectures using IPFS for off-chain storage of heavy keys/signatures.

The Quantum Threat Horizon

Blockchain immutability is a double-edged sword. Encrypted data captured today can be decrypted tomorrow ("Harvest Now, Decrypt Later"). While hashing algorithms (SHA-256) remain relatively robust against Grover's algorithm, the asymmetric cryptography (ECDSA, RSA) foundation of Hyperledger's identity management is critically vulnerable to Shor's algorithm.

Projection based on logical qubit development rates (Kearney et al., 2021)

Vulnerability Matrix

ECDSA / RSA

CRITICAL

Used for Digital Signatures & TLS. Completely broken by Shor's algorithm. Allows forgery of admin identities and transaction history.

SHA-256 / SHA-3

MODERATE

Used for linking blocks. Weakened by Grover's algorithm (quadratic speedup), but key length doubling (SHA-384/512) mitigates risk.

Lattice-Based (PQC)

SECURE

NIST standardized replacements (Dilithium, Falcon). Resistant to known quantum attack vectors, but introduces performance overhead.

The Candidates: NIST PQC Standards

Not all PQC algorithms are suitable for blockchain. Hyperledger Fabric requires high throughput (fast verification) and manageable storage. We compare the three primary candidates: CRYSTALS-Dilithium, Falcon, and SPHINCS+ based on recent performance benchmarks.

Algorithm Details

Recommendation: Select an algorithm above to see the verdict for Hyperledger Fabric.
Dilithium Falcon SPHINCS+

The Cost of Security

PQC isn't a free upgrade. It is a "defensive downgrade" in terms of performance. The primary bottlenecks are Key Size (storage bloat) and Verification Time (latency).

Impact on Throughput (TPS)

Research indicates a potential 50-70% drop in transaction throughput when moving from ECDSA to hybrid PQC schemes due to propagation delays and verification overhead.

Classic Fabric (ECDSA) ~3000 TPS
Post-Quantum Fabric ~1200 TPS

* Note: Throughput varies heavily based on block size, endorsement policy, and network latency. Data approximated from Campbell (2025).

Data Bloat: Signature Size Comparison

Logarithmic Scale (Bytes). PQC signatures are orders of magnitude larger than ECDSA.

Proposed Hybrid Architecture

To mitigate the storage overhead of PQC in Hyperledger Fabric, research suggests an Off-Chain Storage Pattern using IPFS. The blockchain stores only the hash, while the heavy PQC signatures and data reside on IPFS.

System Topology

💻 Client App Signs Tx (PQC)
gRPC
🏢 Fabric Peer Endorser / Committer PQC
📦 IPFS Node Off-Chain Storage
⚖️ Orderer Consensus (BFT)
🔑 Fabric CA / MSP Identity (X.509)

Interactive Diagram

Click on the components in the diagram to explore how PQC integration changes the standard Hyperledger Fabric flow.

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Literature Review Database

Paper Title Year Type Key Insight Link