Ethereum’s $2M Quantum Defense: New Team, Prizes, and Tests to Protect Your Crypto

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<a href="https://inrusdinr.in/eth-usd/">Ethereum</a> Builds Team To Guard Against Quantum Threat

The Ethereum Foundation is building a team to protect the network from potential threats posed by future quantum computers. These powerful machines could eventually compromise the security of digital wallets and transaction signatures. The team is now moving beyond just studying the risks and is starting to run real-world tests, which is generating excitement within the cryptocurrency world.

Ethereum Launches Post-Quantum Team

Thomas Coratger is heading up a team that’s working on new systems. This team includes cryptography and engineering experts who are currently testing these systems in a development environment. Their work involves a project called leanVM and collaboration with a researcher named Emile, who specializes in creating easy-to-use, quantum-resistant tools. The main aim is to try out these new algorithms within actual software without disrupting existing transactions.

Today marks an inflection in the Ethereum Foundation’s long-term quantum strategy.

We’ve created a new team focused on Post Quantum (PQ) cryptography, and Thomas Coratger (@tcoratger) is leading the charge. Emile, a key developer of the leanVM project, is also joining the team. leanVM is a powerful cryptographic…

— Justin Drake (@drakefjustin) January 23, 2026

$2 Million In Prizes Encourage Development

As an analyst, I’m tracking a significant investment in cryptographic security. There’s a $1 million prize available for anyone who can improve the Poseidon hash function, and another $1 million is dedicated to wider research into post-quantum cryptography. Essentially, around $2 million is being offered to researchers and developers to create and test solutions that can withstand attacks from future quantum computers. From what I understand, the goal of this funding is to accelerate development and demonstrate viable alternatives to our current digital signature systems.


Early Tests And Community Involvement

Test networks supporting multiple developers are currently running, and developers are actively testing different signature methods to identify any issues. Every two weeks, researchers like Antonio Sanso host meetings where teams can share their findings and update their code. A preview event, “Post-Quantum Day,” is planned for March 2026, just before the ETHCC conference. A larger event will follow in October 2026 to demonstrate the progress made and outline future plans.

Today’s encryption methods, like ECDSA and secp256k1, could potentially be cracked by future quantum computers. While this isn’t a current threat, Ethereum is taking precautions. Users should pay attention to official instructions, keep their wallet software updated, and start using new addresses after the updates are released.

As a crypto investor, I’ve been watching the community’s reaction to this upgrade, and it’s definitely a mixed bag. Some people are really impressed with how carefully everything seems to be planned out, which is reassuring. I did notice a slight dip in ETH‘s price, which is typical with these things, but nothing major. The biggest questions I’m seeing are around how this upgrade will actually reach everyone with their wallets, and what happens to older keys – valid concerns, honestly. From what I understand, the Foundation is taking a smart approach by testing everything thoroughly beforehand, so hopefully, we’ll all be more secure and prepared when the changes go live.

This is an important step in Ethereum’s ongoing effort to improve its security. Developers will continue testing and refining the system, openly discussing the best way forward and sharing updates with the community. By taking action now, Ethereum hopes to minimize potential problems and ensure future upgrades are seamless for everyone using the network.

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2026-01-25 17:57