I like! This is a really simple and inexpensive way to significantly reduce the quantum threat to Kaspa users.
Traditional addresses expose the public key controlling the funds. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could derive the private key from that public key and steal the funds.
KIP-22 proposes a simple change: instead of exposing the public key, an address commits to a cryptographic hash (a fingerprint) of the spending conditions. The public key stays hidden, and unlike elliptic-curve cryptography, strong cryptographic hashes remain highly resistant to quantum attacks.
Only when we spend the funds do we reveal the necessary information for the network to verify the transaction.
There is still a theoretical attack vector where an attacker could intercept a spending transaction, derive the private key, and attempt to front-run the original transaction. But since PoW relies on hashing, which is far more resistant to quantum attacks, the network should remain operational and continue confirming transactions, leaving an attacker with only a very narrow window to act.
Exploiting this would require not just a quantum computer capable of breaking public-key cryptography, but one powerful enough to do this faster than the network converges. On Kaspa, that means just a few seconds. That's a much stronger "theoretical adversary," and it's unclear whether such a machine will ever exist.
Personally, I doubt quantum computers will ever be able to break public-key cryptography at realistic key sizes (I suspect that Hilbert space itself is discrete and has a much coarser resolution than commonly assumed, but that's a different topic).
So TL;DR: KIP-22 isn't a "complete" post-quantum solution, but it's an elegant, relatively low-cost way to significantly reduce the attack surface for quantum adversaries.
Published KIP 22 to help Kaspa users better protect their funds from future quantum attackers by keeping public keys hidden until spending
github.com/kaspanet/kips/blo…