Cryptography

Supernova implements state-of-the-art quantum-resistant cryptography across all blockchain operations. With v1.0.0-RC3, all cryptographic implementations are 100% complete and production-ready.

Overview

Supernova's cryptographic architecture provides:

• Quantum Resistance: Full protection against quantum computing attacks
• Performance: Optimized implementations with hardware acceleration
• Flexibility: Multiple algorithm choices for different use cases
• Future-Proof: Modular design allowing algorithm updates

Implementation Status (v1.0.0-RC3)

Overall Completion: 100% ✅

All quantum signature schemes are fully implemented and tested:

• ✅ ML-DSA (Dilithium): NIST primary standard
• ✅ Falcon: Compact signatures
• ✅ SPHINCS+: Hash-based security
• ✅ Hybrid Mode: Classical + quantum
• ✅ Hardware Acceleration: AVX2/AVX512 support
• ✅ Security Auditing: Comprehensive validation

Signature Algorithms

ML-DSA (Module-Lattice Digital Signature Algorithm)

ML-DSA (formerly CRYSTALS-Dilithium) is NIST's primary quantum-resistant signature standard:

use supernova_crypto::ml_dsa::{MLDSAKeyPair, MLDSALevel};

// Generate keys
let keypair = MLDSAKeyPair::generate(MLDSALevel::ML_DSA_65)?;

// Sign a message
let message = b"Transfer 100 NOVA to Alice";
let signature = keypair.sign(message)?;

// Verify signature
let valid = keypair.public_key().verify(message, &signature)?;
assert!(valid);

Security Levels:

• ML-DSA-44: NIST Level 2 (128-bit quantum security)
• ML-DSA-65: NIST Level 3 (192-bit quantum security) - Default
• ML-DSA-87: NIST Level 5 (256-bit quantum security)

Falcon

Falcon provides the most compact quantum-resistant signatures:

use supernova_crypto::falcon::{FalconKeyPair, FalconDegree};

// Generate Falcon keys
let keypair = FalconKeyPair::generate(FalconDegree::Falcon512)?;

// Sign with compression
let signature = keypair.sign_compressed(message)?;

// Signature is only 690 bytes for Falcon-512
println!("Signature size: {} bytes", signature.len());

Variants:

• Falcon-512: NIST Level 1 (690 byte signatures)
• Falcon-1024: NIST Level 5 (1,280 byte signatures)

SPHINCS+

SPHINCS+ provides hash-based signatures for maximum security:

use supernova_crypto::sphincs::{SPHINCSKeyPair, SPHINCSParams};

// Configure SPHINCS+ parameters
let params = SPHINCSParams::new()
    .security_level(192)
    .hash_function(HashFunction::SHAKE256)
    .variant(Variant::Robust)
    .size(Size::Small);

let keypair = SPHINCSKeyPair::generate(params)?;

Features:

• Stateless operation
• Based only on hash functions
• Maximum long-term security
• Large signatures but unbreakable

Hash Functions

SHA-3 Family

Supernova uses SHA-3 for all hashing operations:

use supernova_crypto::hash::{sha3_256, shake256};

// Fixed-length output
let hash = sha3_256(data);

// Variable-length output
let extended = shake256(data, 64); // 64 byte output

Merkle Trees

Quantum-resistant Merkle trees using SHA-3:

use supernova_crypto::merkle::{MerkleTree, SHA3Hasher};

let tree = MerkleTree::<SHA3Hasher>::new();
tree.add_leaf(transaction1.hash());
tree.add_leaf(transaction2.hash());

let root = tree.root();
let proof = tree.generate_proof(0)?;

Key Derivation

Hierarchical Deterministic Keys

HD key derivation with quantum resistance:

use supernova_crypto::hd::{HDKeychain, DerivationPath};

// Generate master key
let master = HDKeychain::from_seed(seed, AlgorithmType::ML_DSA)?;

// Derive child keys
let account = master.derive_path("m/44'/12345'/0'")?;
let address = account.derive_child(0)?;

Key Encapsulation

Kyber for quantum-secure key exchange:

use supernova_crypto::kem::{Kyber, KyberLevel};

// Generate KEM keypair
let (public_key, secret_key) = Kyber::keypair(KyberLevel::Kyber768)?;

// Encapsulate shared secret
let (ciphertext, shared_secret) = Kyber::encapsulate(&public_key)?;

// Decapsulate on receiver side
let recovered_secret = Kyber::decapsulate(&ciphertext, &secret_key)?;

Performance Optimization

Hardware Acceleration

Automatic detection and use of CPU features:

use supernova_crypto::acceleration::{detect_features, set_acceleration};

// Detect available features
let features = detect_features();
if features.has_avx2() {
    set_acceleration(Acceleration::AVX2);
} else if features.has_avx512() {
    set_acceleration(Acceleration::AVX512);
}

Batch Verification

Efficient batch signature verification:

use supernova_crypto::batch::{BatchVerifier, VerificationItem};

let mut verifier = BatchVerifier::new();

// Add signatures to batch
for (message, signature, public_key) in signatures {
    verifier.add(VerificationItem {
        message,
        signature,
        public_key,
    });
}

// Verify all at once (much faster)
let all_valid = verifier.verify_batch()?;

Security Features

Side-Channel Protection

Constant-time operations to prevent timing attacks:

use supernova_crypto::secure::{constant_time_compare, secure_zero};

// Constant-time comparison
let equal = constant_time_compare(&secret1, &secret2);

// Secure memory clearing
secure_zero(&mut sensitive_data);

Random Number Generation

Cryptographically secure RNG:

use supernova_crypto::rng::{SecureRng, RngSource};

// Use hardware RNG if available
let mut rng = SecureRng::new(RngSource::Hardware)?;

// Generate random bytes
let mut key = [0u8; 32];
rng.fill_bytes(&mut key)?;

Integration Examples

Transaction Signing

use supernova_crypto::transaction::{Transaction, SignatureType};

let mut tx = Transaction::new()
    .from(sender_address)
    .to(recipient_address)
    .amount(Amount::from_nova(100))
    .build()?;

// Sign with ML-DSA
tx.sign(private_key, SignatureType::ML_DSA_65)?;

// Verify before broadcasting
assert!(tx.verify()?);

Block Header Signing

use supernova_crypto::block::{BlockHeader, MinerSignature};

let mut header = BlockHeader {
    version: 1,
    previous_hash: prev_block.hash(),
    merkle_root: transaction_tree.root(),
    timestamp: current_time(),
    difficulty: current_difficulty,
    nonce: 0,
};

// Mine and sign
let signature = MinerSignature::create(&header, miner_key)?;
header.set_signature(signature);

Best Practices

Algorithm Selection

Choose the right algorithm for your use case:

Key Management

Secure key storage and handling:

use supernova_crypto::keystore::{KeyStore, EncryptionMethod};

// Create encrypted keystore
let keystore = KeyStore::new(EncryptionMethod::AES256_GCM);

// Store key with password
keystore.store_key(
    "my_key",
    &private_key,
    "strong_password"
)?;

// Retrieve key
let key = keystore.get_key("my_key", "strong_password")?;

Migration from Classical

Transitioning from ECDSA to quantum-resistant:

use supernova_crypto::migration::{MigrationHelper, HybridSigner};

// Create hybrid signer for transition period
let hybrid = HybridSigner::new(
    ecdsa_key,
    ml_dsa_key
);

// Sign with both algorithms
let signature = hybrid.sign(message)?;

// Gradually phase out ECDSA
if network_supports_quantum_only() {
    let signature = ml_dsa_key.sign(message)?;
}

Performance Benchmarks

Signature Performance (v1.0.0-RC3)

Throughput Comparison

Security Analysis

Quantum Resistance

All algorithms resist known quantum attacks:

• Shor's Algorithm: No impact (not based on factoring/discrete log)
• Grover's Algorithm: Security levels account for square root speedup
• Future Algorithms: Hash-based fallback (SPHINCS+) provides insurance

Classical Security

Maintains strong classical security:

• ML-DSA: Based on Module-LWE problem
• Falcon: Based on NTRU lattice problem
• SPHINCS+: Based on hash function security

Conclusion

Supernova's cryptographic implementation provides comprehensive quantum resistance while maintaining practical performance. The modular design allows for future updates as post-quantum cryptography evolves, ensuring long-term security for the network.

Resources

• Cryptographic API Reference
• Security Best Practices
• Performance Tuning Guide
• NIST PQC Standards