NEAR Protocol Team Flags Ownership Verification Challenge in Quantum Computing Threat

Blockchain systems preparing for quantum-computing risks must also grapple with a deeper issue: how to verify ownership after theft, according to researchers at NEAR Protocol.

Anton Astafiev, chief technology officer at Near One, warned that quantum-era attacks could make it difficult, or even impossible, to confirm whether a transaction sender is the legitimate owner of an asset.

He said this would force blockchain networks to make difficult governance decisions, particularly about whether to freeze compromised wallets or allow transactions to continue unchecked.

In practice, protocols may be pushed toward one of two extremes: aggressively blocking potentially affected assets or tolerating a more “wild west” environment with minimal intervention.

Astafiev argued that this tension creates a major security and policy dilemma for future blockchain systems.

As a possible mitigation, he pointed to zero-knowledge proof technology, which could allow users to prove ownership of funds or knowledge of a seed phrase without exposing sensitive information.

Source: NEAR Protocol