SELECTING CRYPTOGRAPHIC SIGNATURE ALGORITHMS TO ENSURE SMART CONTRACT SECURITY

Аннотация

Blockchain platforms based on smart contracts rely on cryptographic signature algorithms to verify user actions and provide protection against malicious attacks. Selecting the right algorithm is one of the most important factors in ensuring smart contract security, as cryptography is constantly evolving and new technologies may affect the reliability of existing algorithms. In particular, the development of quantum computers poses a threat to widely used digital signature protocols. This paper proposes a flexible approach to selecting cryptographic signature algorithms to ensure the security of smart contracts. The approach involves managing algorithms and their parameters through special smart contracts deployed on the blockchain ledger, enabling the rapid introduction of new, secure signature methods or the deprecation of outdated ones. This method increases the adaptability of the blockchain to technological advancements, facilitates the adoption of post-quantum signature algorithms, and eliminates the fork problem that often arises during updates. The proposed approach is effective for real-world applications, including industry, complex supplychains, andIoT devices. Keywords: blockchain; smart contracts; cryptographic signature algorithms; distributed ledger; post-quantumcryptography; quantum-resistant signatures; digital signatures; cybersecurity Introduction: Smart-contract-based blockchain platforms rely heavily on cryptographic signature algorithms to verify the validity of user transactions and to protect the network from maliciousactors. Two fundamental requirements underpin thissecurity model: Immutability of the ledger — once consensus is reached, there must not be multiple conflicting versions of the same ledger. Protection of data ownership — only the legitimate owner of a digital asset or record should be able to manage it. Most consensus protocols depend on cryptographically secure algorithms to enforce these properties. For example, Proof-of-Work protocols such as Hashcash rely primarily on cryptographic hash functions, while Proof-of- Stake protocols often depend on digital signature schemes. However, the security of cryptographic primitives is neither absolute nor permanent. Advances in computing power or cryptanalysis can expose previously unknown vulnerabilities. This is especially critical with the advent of quantum computing, which poses a serious threat to widely used algorithms like ECDSA and EdDSA. Shor’s algorithm, in particular, can break such schemes in relatively short timeframes, jeopardizing the security of blockchain systems that store sensitive financial data andexecutesmart contracts [1]. Background: Currently, the most widely used digital signature schemes in blockchain networks — ECDSA and EdDSA — rely on the difficulty of solving the Elliptic Curve Discrete Logarithm Problem (ECDLP). In the classical computing model, ECDLP is considered intractable for sufficiently large parameters. However, quantum algorithms, most notably Shor’s algorithm, can solve this problem efficiently, undermining the security foundations of theseschemes. 175 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ISSN:2692-5206,ImpactFactor:12,23 AmericanAcademicpublishers,volume05,issue08,2025 Journal: https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai This growing risk has accelerated the need for post-quantum (quantum-resistant) digital signature algorithms. In response, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has initiated a standardization process to identify and approve new public-key cryptographic schemes capable of withstanding quantum attacks. The most promising categories include: Lattice-based: e.g., CRYSTALS-Dilithium, Falcon, Multivariate cryptography: e.g., Rainbow, GeMSS Hash-based: e.g., SPHINCS+ While these schemes offer quantum resistance, their efficiency, scalability, and suitability for smart contract environments vary significantly. Therefore, selecting the right cryptographic signature algorithm is a critical step in ensuring both security andperformance for blockchain-based smart contracts[2][3]. Structure of the CK Smart Contract. The Cryptographic Kernel (CK) framework allows blockchain systems to useany signature algorithm from adynamic, non-staticpre-approved list. This list begins with an initial selection of algorithms but can be expanded or updated as new cryptographic developments arise. Each algorithm in the CK smart contract is identified by a unique string identifier. This identifier is embedded in every digital signature, enabling verifiers to know exactly which cryptographic algorithm was used for signing.For each listed algorithm, theCKsmart contract maintains: Aset ofparameter configurations—allowing different security and performance trade-offs. Avalidation suite—acollection of teststo verify correctness and security compliance. Two status fields: Validated — marked with a timestamp when the algorithm is officially added to the li