Researchers at AmericanFortress have published a cryptographic paper detailing a patent-pending post-quantum signature strategy for hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallets, the backbone of most cryptocurrency systems.
The method replaces the traditional Ed25519 signature with a ZK-STARK proof, allowing wallets to prove seed ownership at the point of spend without exposing private keys. This eliminates the threat quantum computers pose to current public-key encryption.
Crucially, the upgrade requires no fund transfers, chain switches, or new infrastructure. Public keys remain identical to standard BIP32-Ed25519 wallets, ensuring seamless compatibility.
A split-proof architecture divides the workload: a derivation proof computed once per master key recovery, and a signing proof per transaction. Full proof generation currently takes minutes on commodity hardware, but verification is consistently 18-19 milliseconds regardless of wallet depth.
Currently limited to Edwards curve chains like Solana, a secp256k1 version is in development. Wallets that calculate key pairs directly, such as Satoshi's early wallets, cannot be protected by this method.
AmericanFortress is integrating this technology into its own wallets and custody systems, making it available via SDK.