Ethereum Aims to Safeguard Against Quantum Computing Threat

Ethereum is taking steps to counter the potential threat posed by quantum computers. The blockchain's co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, has outlined a roadmap to protect it from these risks.

The move comes as the Ethereum Foundation has established a dedicated post-quantum research team to study the issue. Buterin identified four key areas of vulnerability: validator signatures used in consensus, data availability system, everyday wallet signatures, and certain zero-knowledge proofs used by applications and layer-2 networks.

One area that would need updating is how Ethereum's validators sign and confirm blocks. They currently use a type of digital signature called BLS, but this could eventually be broken by powerful quantum computers. Buterin suggests switching to 'hash-based' signatures, which are considered much safer against quantum attacks.