NEAR PROTOCOL · L1 · QRI 16 · BAND 2 Acknowledged Hybrid FAIL · Stage 0 · Washing 1x

NEAR has the cleanest key-rotation architecture in the batch and zero deployed PQC to rotate to. The access-key system means a migration could happen without redesigning accounts. The awkward part is that architectural readiness and operational readiness are not the same thing, and NEAR has one of them.

inLinkedIn XPost ▼Scorecard JSON ⇆Compare Verified 2026-04-18

Summary

NEAR scores Band 2 (Acknowledged) on awareness only. Ed25519 across tx + validator, SHA-256 hashing — no PQC in core or testnet. NEAR's structural advantage is account abstraction: native access-key rotation means a PQC migration is architecturally feasible via access keys, NOT via account redesign. Despite this edge, zero PQC code, zero roadmap, zero milestones published.

What the gates say

Hybrid: FAIL. No hybrid plan on file.
Evidence: PASS. Sources reconstructable by third party.
Primitive naming: PASS. Named primitives at every scored sub-level.

Burn-vs-rescue policy on file

undeclared

Seven dimensions

Each dimension scores 0-100 internally; the weighted roll-up produces the QRI on the left. Open a row to read the sub-score detail.

1 Cryptographic Exposure 35 / 100

1a_primitive_inventory 12 / 20

Minimal inventory, only Ed25519 + SHA-256 published.

Primitives: Ed25519 (tx + validator) · SHA-256

Evidence: NEAR docs: https://docs.near.org

1b_shor_grover_pq_tag 15 / 20

Evidence: NEAR chain documentation

1c_algorithm_family_diversity 0 / 20

No PQC families in core.

1d_nist_security_category 2 / 20

1e_implementation_quality 6 / 20

Evidence: github.com

2 HNDL Exposure 22 / 100

2a_active_key 5 / 20

Implicit accounts: Ed25519 pubkey = account. 90-100% exposure. Named accounts also store pubkey on-chain.

2b_cold_key 5 / 20

Same 100% exposure via access-key system.

2c_sig_long_term 7 / 20

Tx-oriented chain; short validity window typical.

2d_encryption_conf 5 / 20

Standard TLS — no PQC for RPC or validator comms.

3 Metadata & Privacy Exposure 34 / 100

3a_graph_visibility 5 / 20

Pseudonymous, human-readable account names improve observability further.

3b_rpc_concentration 9 / 20

Pagoda/FastNEAR RPC concentration.

3c_bridge_correlation 11 / 20

Rainbow Bridge and Aurora link tx flows.

3d_retroactive_deanon 9 / 20

No native privacy — no retroactive risk above baseline.

4 Migration Architecture 40 / 100

4a_crypto_agility 8 / 20

NEAR runtime upgrades are coordinated via Foundation. Access-key system is pluggable.

Evidence: docs.near.org

4b_aa_key_rotation 18 / 20

Native NEAR accounts are AA-like: function-call access keys, full-access keys, key rotation fully supported. Best-in-class.

Evidence: docs.near.org

4c_hard_fork_track_record 8 / 20

Nightshade 2.0 shipped smoothly. 5 years 100% uptime.

4d_hybrid_deployment_readiness 6 / 20

Access-key scheme could theoretically add PQC keys but no hybrid envelope architected.

5 Deployment Execution 2 / 100

5a_mainnet_pqc_pct 0 / 20

No mainnet PQC traffic.

5b_pqc_code_in_consensus 0 / 20

5c_validator_pqc_keys 0 / 20

5d_published_milestones 0 / 20

5e_pqc_washing_delta 2 / 20

No announcements.

6 Supply Chain Vendor Readiness 5 / 100

6a_wallet 2 / 20

6b_bridge 1 / 20

6c_custodian 1 / 20

6d_rpc_hsm 1 / 20

7 Governance & Coordination 45 / 100

7a_validator_stake_distribution 10 / 20

Estimated Nakamoto coefficient 8-12.

7b_upgrade_cadence_under_pressure 15 / 20

Foundation coordinates rapid upgrades. 5-year clean uptime.

7c_named_coordination_lead 13 / 20

NEAR Foundation (Switzerland).

7d_adversarial_coordination_precedent 7 / 20

No PQC adversarial precedent; chain never faced a crypto-break scenario.

The X + Y vs Z inequality

X (data shelf life): 5-10 (Ed25519 EOA-like)

Y (migration time): 10-15

Z10 (10% CRQC year): 2036 · Z50 (50%): 2041

Verdict: X+Y > Z (danger).

Four-scenario grid

Scenario	Value preserved	Privacy preserved
quantum never	100%	100%
arrives suddenly pre migration	5%	10%
arrives slowly post migration	80%	75%
arrives slowly mid migration	35%	35%

Peers in the L1 profile

Order-book view of the 9 chains closest to NEAR Protocol by QRI.

Public artifacts used for this scorecard

Each entry below is a sub-score citation. Clicking the link takes you to the public source. A third party should be able to reconstruct every number on this page from these URLs in 48 hours.

Cryptographic Exposure · 1a_primitive_inventory

Minimal inventory, only Ed25519 + SHA-256 published.

NEAR docs: https://docs.near.org

Cryptographic Exposure · 1b_shor_grover_pq_tag

NEAR chain documentation

Cryptographic Exposure · 1e_implementation_quality

https://github.com/near/nearcore

Migration Architecture · 4a_crypto_agility

NEAR runtime upgrades are coordinated via Foundation. Access-key system is pluggable.

https://docs.near.org/concepts/basics/accounts/access-keys

Migration Architecture · 4b_aa_key_rotation

Native NEAR accounts are AA-like: function-call access keys, full-access keys, key rotation fully supported. Best-in-class.

https://docs.near.org/concepts/basics/accounts/access-keys

Supply chain snapshot

wallet MyNearWallet · HERE Wallet · Meteor Wallet 0 PQC roadmaps

bridge Rainbow Bridge · Aurora Bridge · LayerZero 0 PQC roadmaps

custodian Coinbase Custody · BitGo · Fireblocks 0 PQC roadmaps

rpc_hsm Pagoda · FastNEAR · Ankr 0 PQC roadmaps

A chain's supply chain cannot migrate faster than its slowest dependency. Zero PQC roadmaps in any of the four categories is a structural blocker, not a lagging indicator.

Analyst notes on the scoring

Native AA/access keys scored 18/25 on sub-score 4b — strongest migration architecture feature in batch alongside Polkadot. But Dim 5/6 voids dominate; chain is architecturally ready but operationally zero.

Scorecard metadata

Profile: L1
Scored: 2026-04-18 by layerqu-v2-scoring-agent-4
v1 reference: chainscreen-v1-archive
QRI raw: 18 · after caps: 16
Confidence interval: ±15
PQC washing ratio: 1x
Burn-vs-rescue: undeclared

Caps triggered

Mosca (5a<20% → QRI max 60)
Sutor (5d=0 → Migration Stage max 2)
Preskill (Dim 5, Dim 6 <3 artifacts → ×0.5)
Casado (4 tiles pqc=0 → migration_stage max 3)
Hybrid gate FAIL → QRI cap 60