Buterin Proposes Layered Crypto Security Framework for Enhanced User Protection

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has outlined a new framework for crypto security that prioritizes redundancy, multi-angle verification, and human-centric design. This approach seeks to minimize the divergence between what users want and what systems do.

The concept is rooted in the idea that perfect security is impossible due to the complexity of user intent. Even simple actions, such as sending Ether to a recipient, involve assumptions about identity, blockchain forks, and common-sense knowledge that cannot be fully encoded.

To compensate for these limitations, Buterin advocates using redundancy and multi-angle verification. This involves specifying user intent through multiple overlapping methods, ensuring that systems act only when all specifications align. Examples of this approach include programming type systems, formal verification, transaction simulations, post-assertions, and multisig wallets.