■ XRPL to Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography by 2028

The XRP Ledger (XRPL), the underlying network of XRP, is pursuing a long-term security transition to prepare for the risks that future quantum computing technology could pose to existing cryptographic systems. XRPL is not currently quantum-resistant, and Ripple is carrying out phased preparations with the goal of fully transitioning to post-quantum cryptography by 2028.

Crypto Patel of the CoinMarketCap community recently posted that Ripple is pushing forward a step-by-step plan to protect the XRPL from future quantum computing threats. This is also confirmed in the official post-quantum roadmap Ripple released in April.

■ Phased Transition Process... NIST-Recommended Algorithms to Be Tested, Then Run in Parallel

Ripple views quantum computing not as a security incident that will occur in the short term, but as an infrastructure issue requiring long-term preparation. The plan is to analyze the potential vulnerabilities of current cryptographic systems, test quantum-resistant cryptographic technologies, run the existing system and new methods in parallel, and then transition the entire network.

According to the disclosed plan, quantum risks across the XRPL will first be assessed, followed by experiments applying post-quantum algorithms recommended by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in real network environments.

In the next phase, candidate post-quantum signature schemes will be operated alongside existing elliptic curve-based signatures on the development network. Rather than applying the new cryptography directly to the mainnet, the approach is to run it in parallel with the existing system and examine its impact on transaction processing performance, signature size, validation costs, and network efficiency.

■ Emergency Plan for 'Q-Day' Included... Leveraging XRPL's Key Replacement Feature

The target timeframe for the final phase is 2028. Ripple has presented a plan to design and propose new network amendments so that the XRPL natively supports post-quantum cryptography, and to bring quantum-resistant signatures to a level usable in real environments.

The plan also includes an emergency contingency in case existing cryptographic systems come under threat sooner than expected. Should the so-called 'Q-Day' materialize earlier than anticipated, the idea is to suspend the existing public key signature scheme and prepare a way to safely transfer user assets to post-quantum secure accounts.

XRPL's existing key replacement feature could also be utilized in the future transition process, as it allows users to change the keys used for signing without altering the account itself.

■ "Not Currently Quantum-Resistant"... Ripple Draws a Clear Line

However, Ripple makes clear that these existing features do not in themselves constitute quantum-resistant technology. Therefore, it is not appropriate at this point to definitively call XRP or the XRPL 'assets or a network safe from quantum computers.' The XRPL currently supports cryptographic signature algorithms such as secp256k1 and Ed25519, and the post-quantum transition remains a technical challenge to be tackled going forward.

The significance of this plan lies not in solving a currently occurring security problem, but in preparing the network structure in advance, taking into account the possibility that quantum computers may eventually advance enough to threaten existing public key cryptography.

[※ This article was written for the purpose of providing information on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, and does not recommend the purchase or sale of any specific virtual asset or guarantee investment returns. The pace of development of quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography and the timing of actual implementation may vary depending on future technological developments and network consensus. XRP and cryptocurrencies can exhibit high price volatility, so investment decisions and responsibilities rest with the investor. This article was written with AI assistance.]