It would not, however, make an entire blockchain quantum-secure.
Two Upgrades Could Protect Accounts and Admin Keys
EIP-8130, developed through Base, would let accounts register and rotate different authenticators without changing their addresses.
The model resembles changing a password without changing an email address. An account could begin with today’s ECDSA key, then add an ML-DSA post-quantum key later. EIP-8355 would add built-in verification for ML-DSA signatures, including higher NIST security levels intended for long-lived keys.
Together, the changes could protect user accounts and privileged infrastructure such as bridge, sequencer, and administrator keys.
“The recommendations we made are for things that maintainers of blockchains can do themselves today,” Smith told Bitcoin.com News. “It primarily covers transaction authorization and, in some cases, consensus.”
The Proposal Is Not a Complete Quantum Fix
Smith’s paper deliberately separates account security from harder protocol problems.
Validator signatures, KZG blob commitments, bridges, and pairing-based zero-knowledge proofs would still require additional work. Chains running their own validators would also need new deposit and key-registration systems.
Pure rollups could move faster because they inherit consensus from Ethereum, but they would still depend on Ethereum for quantum-safe upgrades to any proofs verified on the main network.
Smith also acknowledged that the recommendation remains a design proposal rather than a tested implementation.
“We have not implemented or tested it, but most of the EIPs we discussed have been implemented on some network,” he said.
Users Would Still Need to Move Their Funds
Protocol support alone would not protect existing crypto wallets.
Exchanges and custodians could migrate accounts for customers. Self-custody users would likely need to generate new seed phrases and transfer assets to post-quantum addresses.
“By making post-quantum signatures available but optional, the chain can update without waiting for applications,” Smith said.
Ethereum’s broader roadmap targets a quantum-resistant Layer 1 around December 2029. Smith’s proposal is narrower, but potentially much faster.
That distinction is the story: EVM chains may be able to secure account authorization now, even while the much harder job of making every layer quantum-resistant continues.
