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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 in blockchain-based database. A systematic literature review (SLR) on the application of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to data indexing in blockchain database has been discussed. A detailed examination and analysis have been conducted on 25 papers out of the corpus of 158 identified papers. The various classical indexing structures like Merkle trees, Patricia tries, 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. Various mitigation techniques like aggregation, off-chain indexing, and hybrid encryption were proposed by researchers to address these issues. This review offers insight into the importance of enhanced performance testing and a clear roadmap for transitioning to post-quantum blockchain systems.
Keywords:
post-quantum cryptography, blockchain database, Merkle tree, XMSS, SPHINCS+, lattice cryptography, authenticated indexing
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