Blockchain Quantum Readiness Index / Cosmos Hub
L1 · Cosmos SDK
Cosmos Hub
Post-quantum keys (ML-DSA, a NIST signature) are merged into the shared Cosmos code but the Hub has not adopted them (Gaia v29 still uses older SDK and CometBFT versions): accounts, validators and the IBC cross-chain light clients all still use elliptic-curve keys. Migration has only been discussed on the community forum.
Last reviewed 2026-10-19
Is Cosmos Hub quantum safe?
Not yet. Cosmos Hub is at Stage 2 (Code merged) in LimeChain's Blockchain Quantum Readiness Index, with a progress score of 26/100. Post-quantum accounts are in the core code but not yet running on a public network. Still exposed or unproven: bridges & messaging.
What Cosmos Hub needs for Stage 3: Testnet
- Stage 3 needs PQ user accounts on a public testnet or mainnet (U is: in-dev)
Caps and adjustments
- cap 40: users cannot hold and spend funds under a production PQ mechanism on mainnet
- cap 60: consensus PQ not even on testnet
Rosette slices
| Slice | State | Points | Weight | Reason & evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U User keys | In development At rest: Hidden until first spend x/auth addresses are a hash of the secp256k1 public key; the BaseAccount pub_key is stored only on first signature, so an account that never signed keeps its key hidden. Keys cannot be rotated in place (create a new account and move funds). ML-DSA is not enabled on the Hub, so there is no `pq` option. |
4/10 | 25 | ML-DSA-65 keys are merged upstream in cosmos-sdk/CometBFT, but the Hub has not shipped an upgrade enabling them. Sources 1 |
| C Consensus | In development | 4/10 | 20 | CometBFT supports ML-DSA validator keys upstream, but Hub validators still sign with ECC and no adoption upgrade has passed. Sources 1 |
| P Proof system | Not applicable | — | — | L1 with no validity or fraud proof system. no evidence |
| B Bridges & messaging | Exposed | 0/10 | 15 | IBC is the canonical interop surface: light clients verify block commits with source-chain validator signatures, default ed25519 (ECC). Rotating a validator to ML-DSA requires every IBC counterparty to upgrade CometBFT first. IBC Eureka (Hub to Ethereum) verifies with SP1 zero-knowledge proofs (a SNARK) and is administered by a 5-of-7 ECC security council; neither is post-quantum. |
| A Admin & upgrade keys | Not applicable | — | — | No admin/upgrade key: x/upgrade schedules upgrades only after an on-chain governance proposal (MsgSoftwareUpgrade) passes a stake-weighted token vote; vote signatures fall under C/U. |
| M Migration & recovery | Discussed | 1/10 | 15 | Only a community forum post (2026-05-20) sketches a gradual path: PQ signatures in the SDK, chain opt-in, then IBC light clients. Upstream code alone is not a migration plan, and upstream docs say there is no in-place migration for accounts. Sources 8 |
Stage gates
| Requirement | Status | Details & evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Current audit of the deployed PQ signing code (Stage 5) | Not met | not claimed |
| Admin timelock of at least 30 days with a PQ override (Stage 6, alternative to PQ admin keys) | Not met | not claimed |
| Ratified migration plan with an activation date (Stage 6) | Not met | not claimed |
| New accounts PQ or hybrid by default (Stage 6) | Not met | not claimed |
| ECC sunset enforced (Stage 7) | Not met | not claimed |
PQ adoption published, not scored
There are no PQ accounts on mainnet yet. Having PQ accounts does not mean people move to them. This tracks the share of value and accounts that actually moved, over time.
Measured exposure
No on-chain probe run yet. Bitcoin, Solana, Cosmos and Substrate probes are planned.
Evidence and sources (8)
Every non-zero rating above cites at least one of these public sources.
- docs.cosmos.network/sdk/latest/keys/enable-ml-dsa-keys
- docs.cosmos.network/sdk/latest/learn/concepts/accounts
- docs.cosmos.network/sdk/latest/keys/key-rotation
- github.com/cosmos/ibc/blob/main/spec/client/ics-007-tendermin…
- docs.cosmos.network/skip-go/eureka/eureka-tech-overview.md
- github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.50.14/x/upgrade/README.md
- docs.cosmos.network/hub/latest/governance/submitting
- forum.cosmos.network/t/post-quantum-security/16975
Source: chains/cosmos-hub.json. Reproduce: python3 score.py chains/cosmos-hub.json
Building on Cosmos Hub?
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Talk to usOpen, repeatable scoring. Non-zero ratings need public evidence; missing evidence means unknown. Methodology v0.4 · mechanism registry 2026-10-13.