--- title: "Ethereum can quantum-proof accounts for just 7 cents, says Ethereum's Kohaku lead" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/289693123.md" description: "Ethereum Foundation's Kohaku project lead proposes adding post-quantum protections to accounts for as little as $0.07 without a hard fork. The 'SPHINCS-' approach adapts NIST standards to reduce onchain verification costs, serving as a bridge to future systems. This addresses quantum threats to elliptic curve cryptography, highlighted by recent research breaking small keys and concerns over Bitcoin's structural safety." datetime: "2026-06-14T13:49:48.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/289693123.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/289693123.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/289693123.md) --- # Ethereum can quantum-proof accounts for just 7 cents, says Ethereum's Kohaku lead Ethereum could begin adding post-quantum protections to accounts for as little as $0.07, without waiting for a hard fork, according to the Ethereum Foundation's Kohaku project lead Nicolas Consigny. In a Saturday X post, Consigny shared a paper proposing a cheaper way for Ethereum users to protect their accounts against future quantum-computing threats. The approach adapts SPHINCS+, a post-quantum signature standard developed by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, to work more efficiently on Ethereum. Dubbed “SPHINCS-,” the proposal aims to reduce onchain verification costs without requiring a protocol change or precompile. Consigny described SPHINCS- as a bridge toward a future post-quantum signature system dubbed “leanSPHINCS,” which aims to further reduce verification costs through aggregation. The proposal seeks to address the long-term risk of a quantum threat to Ethereum's Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm with a cost-efficient solution that may be deployed before a dedicated hard fork is developed. _Signature scheme SPHINCs variant security degradation and onchain verification costs. Source:_ Ethresearch.ch **Future quantum computing threats stirs crypto community** In April, post-quantum startup Project Eleven awarded a prize to researcher Giancarlo Lelli for using a quantum computer to break a 15-bit elliptic-curve key. Bitcoin’s keys are 256 bits long, significantly larger than the 15-bit key Lelli managed to crack. He derived the private key from a public key paired to it, using a variant of Shor’s algorithm, a quantum computing technique that theoretically poses a threat to the type of cryptography used by Bitcoin. According to Glassnode, about 1.92 million Bitcoin, representing nearly 10% of the total supply, are considered “structurally unsafe” in a future quantum attack scenario. Another 4.12 million BTC, or 20.6% of the supply, are classified as “operationally unsafe” due to key or address management practices. _Source:_ Glassnode The analytics company estimates that the remaining 69.8% of the supply, or 13.99 million Bitcoin, remains unexposed to a quantum computing threat, broadly in line with Ark Invest’s March estimate that 65% of the supply was safe. ### Related Stocks - [GBTC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GBTC.US.md) - [ETHE.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ETHE.US.md) - [CETH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CETH.US.md) - [FETH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/FETH.US.md) - [ETHW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ETHW.US.md) - [ARKB.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ARKB.US.md) - [FBTC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/FBTC.US.md) - [ETHA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ETHA.US.md) - [BITB.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BITB.US.md) - [IBIT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IBIT.US.md) - [BITO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BITO.US.md) - [BRRR.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BRRR.US.md) - [BTCO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BTCO.US.md) - [BTCW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BTCW.US.md) - [HODL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/HODL.US.md) - [EZBC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/EZBC.US.md) - [BTCE.DE](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BTCE.DE.md) - [03008.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/03008.HK.md) - [03042.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/03042.HK.md) - [03430.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/03430.HK.md) - [ETHHKD.VAHK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ETHHKD.VAHK.md) - [ETHUSD.VAHK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ETHUSD.VAHK.md) ## Related News & Research - [Cboe eyes perpetual futures conversion for Bitcoin and Ether contracts](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290542409.md) - [Bitcoin Well Infinite becomes exclusive bitcoin liquidity partner for Bitcoin Family Office Group](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290556109.md) - [Key facts: ETF Approvals Fail; 50k-ETH Short Raised; Japan Reclassifies](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290434367.md) - [Joe Lubin Says Ethereum Is Moving Toward Systemically Important Finance](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290582397.md) - [Ethereum MEV Bot ‘Jaredfromsubway.eth’ Suffers $7.5M Exploit via Transaction Approval Trap](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290351446.md)