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A Systematic Review of Quantum-Resilient Indexing Strategies in Blockchain-Based Data Storage
Asad Ali
Abstract:
Blockchain-based databases are widely used in various applications, including health records, supply chains, and finance, due to their tamper-proof ledgers and decentralization. Data on blockchains is protected using cryptographic algorithms such as RSA and elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). As quantum computing grows, key cryptographic assumptions deserve evaluation. Public-key signature schemes are vulnerable to Shor’s algorithm, whereas Grover’s algorithm primarily reduces the effective security level of hash-based primitives without directly compromising them. As a result, researchers proposed several post-quantum indexing mechanisms for blockchain-based databases. A systematic literature review (SLR) on the application of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to data indexing in blockchain databases has been provided. A detailed examination and analysis have been conducted on 24 papers out of the corpus of 158 identified papers. The various classical indexing structures like Merkle trees, Patricia trees, and AVL-Merkle trees have been studied. As well as post-quantum cryptographic methods, such as hash-based (XMSS, SPHINCS+) and lattice-based (CRYSTALS-Dilithium, Kyber) schemes are identified in this literature. Extracted information tells that PQC schemes are quantum resistant but increase storage and verification costs. However, these challenges can be reduced through methods like aggregation, off-chain indexing, and hybrid encryption. The review highlights and discusses the need for better performance benchmarks and migration strategies toward post-quantum blockchain systems.
Keywords:
post-quantum cryptography, blockchain databases, Merkle tree, XMSS, SPHINCS+, lattice cryptography, authenticated indexing.
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