Quantum computing, based on qubits or quantum bits, represents a paradigm shift from classical computing and offers enormous computational capacity by using the properties of quantum mechanics and the superposition of states. This opens up remarkable new opportunities in science and business—but also new threats.

The intractability of certain problems is precisely the foundation of today’s main public‑key cryptography systems, such as RSA and Elliptic Curve. While cracking our current keys might take several thousand years using classical algorithms, a large quantum computer could accomplish the same task in just a few hours. Quantum computers will thus have the potential to weaken or even eliminate the security of current cryptographic systems.

Cryptography is, in fact, one of the technological pillars underpinning Blockchain networks. With the introduction of quantum computing and its ability to break traditional encryption, blockchain technology could become at risk—severely affected or even rendered obsolete. For this reason, the main goal of the PQC‑BAAS project: Post Quantum Cryptography for Blockchain as a Service is to research and test the implementation of post‑quantum cryptography, analysing its deployment within a Blockchain network based on Hyperledger Fabric. The aim is to preserve the transparency and integrity of transactions against attacks using quantum algorithms, while allowing the results to be extrapolated to other Blockchain frameworks.

PQC‑BAAS has been funded by IDEPA under the R&D Projects Programme for 2021 (file number IDE/2021/000463).

---