•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Coinbase’s Independent Advisory Board on Quantum Computing and Blockchain said in a report released Tuesday that quantum computers could eventually break the cryptography securing digital assets across major blockchains, and warned that some proof-of-stake networks may be more vulnerable than others.
The board outlined how a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could one day undermine blockchain cryptography and said it has “high confidence” that such a machine will be built. It also described steps networks can take to prepare for a post-quantum environment.
Coinbase said Algorand and Aptos are better positioned for the transition to quantum-resistant security.
Coinbase noted that Algorand has a staged roadmap toward full quantum readiness and is among the first networks to deploy cryptography designed to be secure against quantum computers. It said that at the transaction and execution layers, Algorand already provides cryptographic tools that support quantum-resistant accounts, allowing users to create such accounts without requiring protocol modifications.
The report added that Algorand recently completed its first quantum-resistant transaction on mainnet. However, it said block proposals and committee voting mechanisms remain vulnerable to quantum attacks, and the blockchain is researching ways to secure those components.
Coinbase said Aptos is well positioned for post-quantum secure transactions. It explained that on Aptos, a user’s public key is stored as metadata associated with the account, and the user’s address is not derived from the hash of the user’s public key.
According to the report, users seeking post-quantum security need only sign a transaction that updates their authentication key to a post-quantum public key, without moving assets to a new account.
Coinbase warned that proof-of-stake blockchains, including Ethereum and Solana, may be at greater risk from quantum computing due to the signature schemes validators use to secure networks.
The report acknowledged that Solana has created a new signature scheme. It said users can move their tokens to a new address based on the upgraded scheme so they would no longer be exposed to a quantum attacker. For Ethereum, Coinbase said there is a clear roadmap to address the issue in the near future, including upgrading signatures to be quantum-resistant.
The board also discussed how networks could manage quantum-vulnerable tokens and wallets. It suggested blockchains could instruct users to migrate to quantum-proof wallets, and that wallets holding quantum-vulnerable assets would be revoked and the assets could be lost forever.
Coinbase said the threat from quantum computing does not exist yet, because a computer capable of threatening crypto would need to be orders of magnitude more powerful than anything available today, which could take at least a decade.
Premium gym chains are entering a “golden era” that is ending or already in decline, as rising operating costs collide with shifting consumer preferences toward more flexible, community-based ways to exercise. Long-term memberships are shrinking, margins are pressured by higher rents and facility expenses, and competition from smaller, more personalized…
