Nicolas Consigny, head of the Kohaku project at the Ethereum Foundation, has introduced a concept for protecting accounts from quantum computer attacks. The solution, called SPHINCS-, will secure wallets without requiring a hard fork.
Ethereum can already start preparing accounts for a post quantum world, without waiting for a hard fork.
Today, it would be just 0.07$ .
Further audits incoming. Though I squeezed in a review with Fable before Uncle Sam crashed my party. Verity formal proof included for my…
— Nico (@ncsgy) June 13, 2026
The cost of implementing this protection is approximately $0.07. The method is based on the SPHINCS+ signature standard developed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Consigny has adapted the algorithm for efficient operation within the Ethereum network. SPHINCS- does not require protocol changes and will serve as an interim step before the launch of the leanSPHINCS system, which will further reduce costs through data aggregation.
This new solution aims to eliminate risks associated with the elliptic curve digital signature algorithm currently used by the network.
The discussion around quantum threats has intensified following an experiment by researcher Giancarlo Lelli. In April, he used a quantum computer to crack a 15-bit key.
Bitcoin keys are 256 bits long, making them significantly harder to crack. However, the theoretical threat remains due to Shor's algorithm.
According to Glassnode, approximately 1.92 million BTC (nearly 10% of the supply) are vulnerable to quantum attacks due to their structure. An additional 4.12 million BTC are at risk due to address management features.
As a reminder, in June, Coinbase's council outlined scenarios for the quantum migration of bitcoins.