LMS

Leighton-Micali hash-based signature system standardized in RFC 8554 and NIST SP 800-208, widely used for code signing.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Named for its 1995 inventors Frank Leighton and Silvio Micali — the design predates the quantum threat's urgency.
• Adopted early for secure boot and firmware update signing, where signing events are rare and auditable.
• One of the schemes NSA's CNSA 2.0 suite mandates first, ahead of the lattice standards.

Specifications & Metrics

• FAMILY: Hash-based (stateful)
• STATUS: Standardized
• STANDARD: RFC 8554 / SP 800-208
• YEAR: 2019