Key Highlights
- Ethereum plans to replace vulnerable cryptography with quantum-resistant methods for signatures, data, accounts, and zero-knowledge proofs.
- The network will gradually reduce slot and finality times while upgrading components piece by piece to maintain security and efficiency.
Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin explained how the network plans to protect itself from future quantum computers that could compromise its security.
In an X post on Thursday, Buterin said the plan focuses on parts of Ethereum that could be vulnerable to quantum attacks and explained how each could be fixed before powerful quantum machines arrive.
Four parts of Ethereum that need protection
In the post, Buterin pointed out four areas that need protection. The first is consensus‑layer BLS signatures, which help the network agree on the next block. The second is data availability, which uses KZG commitments to make sure data is correct and complete.
The third is externally owned account (EOA) signatures, which confirm user transactions. The fourth is application‑layer zero‑knowledge proofs, which allow private verification of transactions. For each component, he described how Ethereum could replace the old system with quantum‑resistant methods.
For consensus‑layer signatures, Buterin said Ethereum plans to switch from BLS to hash-based signatures, like Winternitz, and to use STARKs to combine multiple signatures efficiently. He explained that the choice of hash function is important and called it possibly “Ethereum’s last hash function.”
Options include Poseidon2 with extra rounds, Poseidon1, or BLAKE3, a fast conventional hash. This change will make signature verification secure against quantum computers.
He also discussed data availability, noting that the network currently uses KZG for erasure coding, which ensures that data is stored and verified correctly. Buterin said moving to STARks is possible but more complex.
“It’s manageable, but there’s a lot of engineering work to do,” he noted. The network will carefully plan this to keep data secure without slowing it down.
For user account signatures, Ethereum plans to use account abstraction to allow any type of signature, including quantum-safe ones. Buterin noted that these signatures are bigger and cost more gas to verify. Solutions include using recursive aggregation and vectorized math to reduce costs and make them practical.
Cutting costs while maintaining security
Buterin also discussed zero-knowledge proof. He said regular ZK-SNARKs, which allow one party to prove they possess specific information without revealing it, use about 300-500k gas, but quantum-resistant STARKs cost around 10 million gas.
He said Ethereum could use protocol-layer recursive proof aggregation, which simply means checks can be compressed into one proof to save resources.
Broader context
As Ethereum evolves, keeping the network secure for the long term becomes even more important. As Buterin said, today’s security measures work well, but future quantum computers could break many of the methods used across blockchains and the wider internet.
An early preparation for this could give developers time to test new systems without rushing changes. In addition, this roadmap could help protect user funds and support new technologies like privacy tools and scaling networks.
Also Read: Vitalik Buterin Explains Why Ethereum Scaling Isn’t Always a Priority
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