Sui sets 2027 target for native quantum-safe account authentication

The initiative addresses the "harvest-now-forge-later" vulnerability, where attackers archive current public keys with the intent to decrypt them once quantum hardware matures. To mitigate this, Sui is adopting ML-DSA-65 for standard accounts and SLH-DSA-SHA2-128s for smart contract vaults. By utilizing two distinct mathematical foundations—lattice-based and hash-based cryptography—the network aims to ensure that a breakthrough against one algorithm does not compromise the other.

Quantum-safe vaults are slated for mainnet release later this year, while native account authentication is scheduled for testnet by the end of 2026, followed by a mainnet rollout in early 2027. This transition remains optional, allowing developers and users to adopt the new standards at their own pace. Existing recovery phrases will function as the foundation for the new keys, and address aliases will enable users to transition to quantum-safe signatures while retaining their current wallet addresses. While the implementation will increase transaction sizes, Sui expects to manage these data requirements through existing network optimizations.