Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin outlined a roadmap Thursday to protect the blockchain from the long-term risks posed by quantum computers, a move that comes shortly after the Ethereum Foundation established a post-quantum research team dedicated to studying the issue.
Although there are no practical quantum computers capable of cracking modern cryptography yet, they could one day crack the digital signatures and cryptographic systems that protect Ethereum.
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A big part of the plan involves changing the way Ethereum validators sign and confirm blocks. Right now they use a type of digital signature called BLS. In a world with powerful quantum computers, those signatures could eventually be broken. Buterin suggests switching to “hash-based” signatures, which are considered much more secure against quantum attacks.
Another area that would need updating is how Ethereum verifies and stores large batches of transaction data. The system it uses today is based on a cryptographic tool called KZG commitments. Replacing that with a safe quantum alternative is possible, Buterin said, but would require significant behind-the-scenes engineering work and could complicate some parts of the system.
For everyday users, the proposed solution revolves around a planned update called EIP-8141. In simple terms, this update would make Ethereum wallets more flexible. Today, most wallets rely on a standard type of digital signature to approve transactions. EIP-8141 would allow accounts to switch to different types of signatures in the future, including those designed to be secure against quantum computers.
A similar problem exists with zero-knowledge proofs, a type of advanced cryptography used by privacy tools and many layer 2 scaling networks. Quantum-safe versions of these proofs are currently much more expensive to verify on Ethereum.
Buterin pointed to a long-term solution built into EIP-8141 known as “validation frameworks.” This would allow the network to bundle many signatures and tests and replace them with a single combined test. Instead of verifying each one individually on the blockchain, Ethereum would only need to verify one compressed proof, which would help keep costs down.
Read more: Quantum threat becomes real: Ethereum Foundation prioritizes security with leanVM and PQ signatures
