Aptos opens a path for post-quantum signatures before urgency arrives

TL;DR

• Aptos proposes adding quantum-resistant digital signatures (SLH-DSA) via AIP-137.
• The upgrade is optional for new accounts; existing users are unaffected.
• The move follows similar research and testing by other major networks like Solana.

Aptos moved the quantum conversation from theory into planning and proposed an optional signature path designed to resist long-term cryptographic risk. The network relies on digital signatures for daily security: users prove ownership, authorize transactions, and protect accounts through cryptography.

On Thursday, Aptos Labs outlined a proposal that targets the network’s dependence on signatures at the account layer. The core claim stays clear. Existing schemes hold up under classical computing, yet sufficiently capable quantum machines can make common signature schemes forgeable. 

A quantum-capable attacker could attempt to counterfeit authorizations and undermine account security, including retroactive exposure in some threat models.

Aptos Labs also pointed to external signals that push the issue into boardrooms and compliance teams. The team referenced early discussions around quantum scaling by IBM and cited the release of post-quantum cryptography standards by NIST in the United States.

Plans for a post-quantum future on Aptos, drafted by @AptosLabs' Head of Cryptography, @alinush.

→ AIP-137 aims to empower Aptos to better respond to future developments in quantum computing with a focus on ease of integration & limited new security assumptions.

Learn more 👇 https://t.co/dgPRueL4Jk

— Aptos (@Aptos) December 18, 2025

Aptos framed the concern around “CRQCs,” or cryptographically relevant quantum computers, which can turn today’s signature assumptions into liabilities.

AIP-137 adds optional SLH-DSA accounts with no forced migration

Developers proposed AIP-137, an Aptos Improvement Proposal authored by cryptographers at Aptos Labs. The design adds support for a post-quantum signature scheme at the account level, and it does not force any existing user to change keys. Current accounts remain untouched. Post-quantum accounts stay opt-in, so adoption can happen selectively.

If governance approves the proposal, Aptos would support SLH-DSA, a hash-based digital signature scheme standardized as FIPS 205, as an optional account signature type. Aptos positions the move as a way to offer native post-quantum accounts in production without breaking backward compatibility across the network.

Aptos operates as a proof-of-stake layer-1 built for decentralized applications. Network leadership has also pointed to consumer-facing apps gaining traction, including products that blend Web2-style onboarding with Web3-style ownership. The signature proposal fits that direction: mass-market apps depend on simple security primitives that reduce custody risk and lower the operational burden of upgrades.

Aptos does not act alone

Earlier in the month, Solana tested quantum-resistant transactions on a dedicated testnet to measure how post-quantum signature schemes can fit into its transaction model without disrupting existing accounts. 

In the Bitcoin world, a smaller but vocal group of developers, researchers, and fund managers also pushes faster progress on quantum-resistant cryptography. Some efforts center on BIP-360, an early-stage proposal that introduces quantum-resistant signature options, though the idea remains under debate.

Other voices reject near-term urgency

Early Bitcoin figure Adam Back dismissed short-horizon quantum fears as FUD and argued that Bitcoin’s core security model does not rely on encryption. Instead, Bitcoin relies on digital signature schemes and cryptographic hash functions, and the argument turns on timelines and practical quantum capability rather than headlines.