TLDR Tech / Crypto
SPHINCS-: Efficient Stateless Post-Quantum Signature Verification on the EVM
SPHINCS- is a family of EVM-optimized variants of the SPHINCS+ hash-based signature scheme that swaps SHAKE256 for Keccak256 to make post-quantum signature verification practical onchain without new precompiles or protocol changes. Its most optimized variant, C13, verifies in roughly 127K gas with 3,704-byte signatures, while a Keccak-tuned SLH-DSA variant reaches 94K gas, bringing quantum-resistant wallet security within current block constraints. The authors calibrated a gas model showing that real verifier execution, not just opcode and calldata costs, determines the cheapest parameters, with the Winternitz w=8 setting winning on shorter hash chains.
Read the full story