Ripple and the XRP Ledger Foundation have partnered with post-quantum cryptography firm Project Eleven to prepare the XRP Ledger (XRPL) for possible future threats posed by quantum computing.
The collaboration goes beyond theoretical research, focusing on active engineering. The goal is to implement quantum-resistant cryptography across the XRPL. This has to be done before quantum computers become powerful enough to break current encryption standards.
Currently, the cryptography behind major blockchain networks, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP, is vulnerable to future quantum attacks.
There are still debates regarding the specific timeline for the "Q Day" (the point at which quantum computers break standard encryption). However, the U.S. government has mandated a 2035 deadline for federal systems to migrate to post-quantum security. Tech behemoth Google is targeting 2029.
Project Eleven will first conduct an audit of the network’s validator, custody, networking, and wallet layers.
After this, the firm plans to deploy a prototype for a quantum-secure custody wallet and implement "hybrid signatures," which layer quantum-resistant cryptography directly over the network's existing security standards.
Migration process
The XRP Ledger Foundation noted that the network's native architecture makes the migration process less cumbersome. The XRPL uses an account-based system with built-in key rotation, so network participants, including businesses and individual users, will be able to upgrade to quantum-resistant signatures without having to change their public "r-addresses."
Alex Pruden, CEO of Project Eleven, noted that while every major blockchain faces the same cryptographic exposure, the industry's response has largely remained in the research phase.
Dan Burgin
