precompile/slhdsa/README.md

SLH-DSA Signature Verification Precompile

Overview

This precompile implements SLH-DSA (Stateless Hash-Based Digital Signature Algorithm) signature verification as specified in FIPS 205.

Address: 0x0200000000000000000000000000000000000007

FIPS 205 - SLH-DSA

SLH-DSA (FIPS 205, formerly SPHINCS+) is a post-quantum digital signature scheme based on hash functions. It provides:

• Quantum Resistance: Secure against attacks by quantum computers
• Stateless Operation: No state management required (unlike XMSS)
• Minimal Assumptions: Security based only on collision-resistant hash functions
• Conservative Security: Well-understood hash-based construction

Parameter Sets

SLH-DSA supports 12 parameter sets across 3 security levels:

Category 1 (128-bit security)

Parameter Set	Hash Function	Signature Size	Sign Speed	Verify Speed
SHA2-128s	SHA-256	7,856 bytes	Slow	Fast
SHA2-128f	SHA-256	17,088 bytes	Fast	Fast
SHAKE-128s	SHAKE256	7,856 bytes	Slow	Fast
SHAKE-128f	SHAKE256	17,088 bytes	Fast	Fast

Category 3 (192-bit security)

Parameter Set	Hash Function	Signature Size	Sign Speed	Verify Speed
SHA2-192s	SHA-256/512	16,224 bytes	Slow	Fast
SHA2-192f	SHA-256/512	35,664 bytes	Fast	Fast
SHAKE-192s	SHAKE256	16,224 bytes	Slow	Fast
SHAKE-192f	SHAKE256	35,664 bytes	Fast	Fast

Category 5 (256-bit security)

Parameter Set	Hash Function	Signature Size	Sign Speed	Verify Speed
SHA2-256s	SHA-512	29,792 bytes	Slow	Fast
SHA2-256f	SHA-512	49,856 bytes	Fast	Fast
SHAKE-256s	SHAKE256	29,792 bytes	Slow	Fast
SHAKE-256f	SHAKE256	49,856 bytes	Fast	Fast

Trade-offs:

• "s" (small): Smaller signatures, slower signing (~300-600ms)
• "f" (fast): Larger signatures, faster signing (~10-50ms)
• Verification speed is similar for both variants (~300-600μs)

Performance Benchmarks

Apple M1 Max Results:

Operation	SHA2-128s	SHA2-256s
Sign	~309ms	~603ms
Verify	~286μs	~593μs
KeyGen	~35ms	~71ms

Verification Throughput:

• SHA2-128s: ~3,500 signatures/second
• SHA2-256s: ~1,700 signatures/second

Gas Costs

Gas = BaseGas + (MessageLength * PerByteGas)
BaseGas = 15,000
PerByteGas = 10

Examples:

• Empty message: 15,000 gas
• 100-byte message: 16,000 gas
• 1KB message: 25,240 gas
• 10KB message: 115,000 gas

Usage

Solidity Interface

interface ISLHDSA {
    function verify(
        bytes calldata publicKey,
        bytes calldata message,
        bytes calldata signature
    ) external view returns (bool valid);
}

Example Contract

import {SLHDSAVerifier} from "./ISLHDSA.sol";

contract MyContract is SLHDSAVerifier {
    function processSignedData(
        bytes calldata publicKey,
        bytes calldata data,
        bytes calldata signature
    ) external {
        // Verify signature with automatic revert on failure
        require(
            verifySLHDSASignature(publicKey, data, signature),
            "Invalid signature"
        );
        
        // Process data - signature is valid
        // ...
    }
}

Using the Library

import {SLHDSALib} from "./ISLHDSA.sol";

contract Example {
    function verifyWithRevert(
        bytes memory publicKey,
        bytes memory message,
        bytes memory signature
    ) public view {
        // Automatically reverts if signature is invalid
        SLHDSALib.verifyOrRevert(publicKey, message, signature);
    }
    
    function estimateVerificationGas(uint256 messageLength) 
        public 
        pure 
        returns (uint256) 
    {
        return SLHDSALib.estimateGas(messageLength);
    }
}

TypeScript/ethers.js

const SLHDSA_ADDRESS = '0x0200000000000000000000000000000000000007';
const SLHDSA = new ethers.Contract(
    SLHDSA_ADDRESS,
    ['function verify(bytes,bytes,bytes) view returns(bool)'],
    provider
);

const isValid = await SLHDSA.verify(publicKey, message, signature);
console.log('Signature valid:', isValid);

Input Format

The precompile expects input in the following format:

[mode(1 byte)] [pubKeyLen(2 bytes)] [publicKey] [msgLen(2 bytes)] [message] [signature]

Fields:

1. mode (1 byte): Parameter set identifier (0-11)
   • 0: SHA2-128s, 1: SHAKE-128s, 2: SHA2-128f, 3: SHAKE-128f
   • 4: SHA2-192s, 5: SHAKE-192s, 6: SHA2-192f, 7: SHAKE-192f
   • 8: SHA2-256s, 9: SHAKE-256s, 10: SHA2-256f, 11: SHAKE-256f
2. pubKeyLen (2 bytes, big-endian): Length of public key
3. publicKey (32, 48, or 64 bytes): The SLH-DSA public key
4. msgLen (2 bytes, big-endian): Length of message
5. message (variable): The message that was signed
6. signature (7856-49856 bytes): The SLH-DSA signature

Output Format

Single byte indicating verification result:

• 0x01: Signature is valid
• 0x00: Signature is invalid

Security Considerations

Post-Quantum Security

SLH-DSA provides security against quantum computer attacks because:

1. Based on hash functions (no algebraic structure to exploit)
2. No known quantum algorithm for breaking collision resistance
3. Conservative security assumptions

Hash Function Requirements

• SHA-2: Industry standard, widely deployed
• SHAKE: SHA-3 based, newer but standardized

Signature Size Trade-offs

Large signatures are a characteristic of hash-based schemes:

• Small variants ("s"): More efficient for storage
• Fast variants ("f"): Better for high-throughput signing

Recommended Parameter Sets

• General use: SHA2-128s or SHA2-256s

  • Smaller signatures, acceptable signing speed for most applications

• High-throughput signing: SHA2-128f or SHA2-256f

  • When signing speed is critical and storage is available

• Conservative security: SHA2-256s

  • Maximum security level, reasonable signature size

Comparison with Other Schemes

Scheme	Type	Signature Size	Verify Time	Quantum Secure
ECDSA	Elliptic Curve	65 bytes	~88μs	❌
ML-DSA-65	Lattice	3,309 bytes	~108μs	✅
SLH-DSA-SHA2-128s	Hash-based	7,856 bytes	~286μs	✅
SLH-DSA-SHA2-256s	Hash-based	29,792 bytes	~593μs	✅

Trade-offs:

• SLH-DSA has larger signatures than ML-DSA
• SLH-DSA has slower verification than ML-DSA
• SLH-DSA has more conservative security assumptions
• SLH-DSA requires no state management

Implementation Details

• Library: Cloudflare CIRCL v1.6.1
• Standard: FIPS 205 (Final)
• Algorithm: SLH-DSA with FIPS 205 parameters
• Hash Functions: SHA-256, SHA-512, SHAKE256
• Security Levels: 128-bit, 192-bit, 256-bit

Error Handling

The precompile returns 0x00 (invalid) for:

• Invalid mode identifier
• Incorrect public key size
• Incorrect signature size
• Failed signature verification
• Malformed input

No exceptions are thrown - all errors result in 0x00 output.

Gas Optimization Tips

1. Batch Verification: Group multiple verifications to amortize overhead
2. Off-chain Verification: Verify off-chain when possible, only verify on-chain when necessary
3. Signature Aggregation: Use BLS or other aggregatable schemes when applicable
4. Parameter Selection: Use 128-bit security when 256-bit is not required

Migration from Classical Signatures

When migrating from ECDSA to SLH-DSA:

1. Storage: Account for larger signatures in data structures
2. Gas Costs: Budget for higher verification costs
3. Signing Infrastructure: Update to support SLH-DSA key generation
4. Backwards Compatibility: Support both schemes during transition

Testing

cd /Users/z/work/lux/standard
forge test --match-path "**/slhdsa/**"

References

• FIPS 205: Stateless Hash-Based Digital Signature Standard
• SLH-DSA Website
• Cloudflare CIRCL Library
• NIST PQC Standardization

License

Copyright (C) 2019-2025, Lux Industries Inc. All rights reserved. See the file LICENSE for licensing terms.