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- Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has revealed to add quantum securities
- All the previous Elliptic Curve Cryptography things will be replaced with STARK-based hashes
- In ETH2.0, users will get an option to use a quantum-safe scheme for validating transactions
- Quantum securities will help make the blockchain safer from quantum attacks
Ethereum is about to scale its functionalities. In a recent Scaling Ethereum Merge Summit, Vitalik Buterin mentioned quantum computers are going to come at some points. The addition will replace every Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) with the hash. It is expected that the security feature will help the network to protect itself from attacks from quantum computers. Hence, now the ETH2.0 Serenity update will allow its users to specify their own scheme for validating transactions. The schemes will also include an option to switch to a quantum-safe signature scheme.
Ethereum to add quantum securities
According to Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum is about introducing quantum computing proof. The quantum computers will help replace all the Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) with hashes. To be specific, he mentioned a few things in the summit that will be replaced.
SNARKs, a novel form of zero-knowledge cryptography, will be replaced with STARKs that are transparent zero-knowledge proof systems.
Ethereum uses Boneh–Lynn–Shacham (BLS) signatures that are a cryptographic signature scheme allowing a user to verify that a signer is authentic. And for quantum security, such signatures will be replaced with the STARK-based aggregate signatures.
The quantum security bandwidth-efficient Verkle trees will be replaced with the STARKed Merkle tree. Simultaneously, everything will potentially be replaced, the VDFs with the hash-based STARK VDF.
ETH will be safe from quantum computer attacks
Things that no one ever imagined have become a part of our lives. Likewise, the world has also achieved quantum supremacy that will soon revolutionize history. However, as quantum computers can solve legacy computers’ problems, it remains a potential risk for the Ethereum blockchains.
To fight the attacks using quantum computers, Ethereum is about to replace its ECC things with STARK-based hashes. Indeed, the fact will help the blockchain to protect itself from potential threats and provide quantum security. Quantum securities are entirely based on hashes instead of pairings.
Moreover, the blockchain can improve upon STARK-based technology by removing the need for a trusted setup. With the hash-based quantum signatures, the transactions will be validated safe, faster and less complex than ECDSA.
