Read this article on bsc.news NEAR Mobile (@NEARMobile_app) has released an update that brings post-quantum vaults to users' phones, extending quantum-resistant account security to mobile sel
NEAR Mobile (@NEARMobile_app) has released an update that brings post-quantum vaults to users' phones, extending quantum-resistant account security to mobile self-custody on the NEAR (@NEARProtocol) $NEAR ecosystem.
The vaults sign transactions with ML-DSA, the NIST-standardized cryptographic scheme that NEAR Protocol added to mainnet in July. Users can send, receive and stake from these accounts. The update also includes improved backup options.
ML-DSA, short for Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm, is based on the CRYSTALS-Dilithium algorithm. According to the NIST post-quantum standardization program, NIST released final versions of its first three post-quantum standards on August 13, 2024.
NEAR Protocol activated post-quantum signing on mainnet on July 20, 2026, through its 2.13 network upgrade. A press release published at the time said the upgrade made NEAR one of the first layer-1 blockchains with a NIST-approved post-quantum signing scheme live on mainnet. It allows accounts to rotate their keys to protect against future quantum attacks that could break today's signing methods.
NEAR's account model made the change simpler. Accounts use human-readable IDs controlled through rotatable access keys rather than a single keypair, so users can switch signing methods without moving assets to a new account, the same release said.
The upgrade does not make the whole network quantum-resistant. NEAR's own roadmap lists securing validator consensus as the next major step, and notes that post-quantum signatures are much larger than other schemes, so the Near One team is working on efficiency. The roadmap also said several ecosystem wallets were updating to support quantum signing, with Meteor Wallet live and others, including Ledger, coming soon.
According to a later report from The Quantum Insider, NEAR has set out a timeline that includes consensus upgrades in the second half of 2027, with inbound cross-chain transactions beginning in 2027.
For mobile users, the NEAR Mobile update adds a practical route to hold and stake assets in accounts secured by the newer signature scheme, rather than relying on classical keys alone.
Sources
