Vitalik Buterin Warns Quantum Tech Could Break Bitcoin and Ethereum by 2028

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, has warned that quantum computing will likely break blockchain cryptography before 2028. Speaking at the Devconnect conference in Buenos Aires, he pointed out that quantum computers will be able to crack Ethereum’s underlying security model before the US presidential election in 2028. Vitalik’s remarks were while presenting Kohaku, a privacy-focused crypto suite to enhance the Ethereum ecosystem.

Vitalik urges blockchain developers to upgrade to quantum-resistant cryptography within the next four years, and advises new developers to shift to layer 2 rather than layer 0. According to him, blockchain’s core layer should lock various features to prevent new bugs. More and more ossification over time is good for Ethereum,” he added.

Bitcoin & Ethereum’s Security Won’t Last Forever, Says Vitalik Buterin

Vitalik stated in his presentation that elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), the foundation of Ethereum and Bitcoin’s security, will not last forever. In theory, ECC can be solved by quantum computing, and to avoid a potentially drastic situation, the crypto sector should migrate to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms. “Elliptic curves are going to die,” he said.

According to Vitalik, it is an existential challenge, and considering that the Quantum threat will likely become a reality before the next US presidential election in 2028, it should be given priority, and the entire ecosystem members should coordinate in the migration to quantum-resistant cryptography.

Why Quantum Computers Could Crack Crypto Before the 2028 Election?

The cryptography-solving power of Quantum computing has been a point of serious discussion since its beginning days. Various experts in the field indicate that quantum algorithms will be capable of creating significant threats to the current global system in the coming years.

Scott Aaronson, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, reignited the quantum computing threat discussion in the academic circle through his blog post on November 13, 2025. Vitalik also supported this view. According to Vitalik and Aaronson, the sheer volume of new research and announcements suggests that the quantum computing era is nearer than expected.

Aaronson thinks it’s a live possibility that we will have a fault-tolerant quantum computer running Shor’s algorithm before the next US presidential election. Shor’s algorithm, the quantum algorithm for finding the prime factors of an integer, can break public-key cryptography schemes if a sufficiently powerful quantum computer is made. At present, such a computer has not yet been built, but the chances are higher for it to become a reality within 2028.

Quantum Computing FUD Ignites Crypto Sell-Offs: Can the Market Rebound?

The ongoing crypto market correction has been further boosted by the quantum threat-related FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt). Beyond the market-wide correction, various projects have stopped their services, and others have halted certain roadmap plans. The initiative by Huobi founder Li Lin and his Asian partners to build a new digital asset trust by accumulating about $1 billion worth of ETH has been shelved. According to the reports, the plan was paused solely due to the ongoing market sell-offs.

While the growth of quantum computing is a serious threat to the crypto sector, the ongoing research and anticipated updates should make the entire blockchain environment quantum-resistant. If that happens, we will likely witness the market surging to new heights.

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