Key Takeaways:
StarkWare released a three-phase plan to make Starknet quantum-resistant within months, calling it the industry's most aggressive post-quantum timeline.
StarkWare on Tuesday unveiled a three-phase roadmap to quantum-proof Starknet, claiming the layer-2 blockchain can achieve post-quantum security within months by leveraging its zero-knowledge STARK architecture.
"The tried-and-tested cryptography exists to secure every crypto key in the world, if necessary changes are made, and the only reason anyone will remain vulnerable is if heads remain buried in the sand," Eli Ben-Sasson, chief executive officer at StarkWare, said.
Phase one replaces Pedersen hashing with quantum-resistant alternatives and adds post-quantum signatures. Phase two introduces migration tooling to upgrade existing smart contracts without forcing developers to manually rebuild applications. Phase three addresses dependencies on Ethereum's own quantum upgrade timeline, which Starknet cannot resolve alone.
Ben-Sasson argued that the crypto industry suffers from an "elliptical illusion" around elliptic-curve cryptography, the current standard for securing blockchains, calling it "false confidence" that leaves the industry "dangerously complacent." Some migration problems involve genuine technical trade-offs, governance decisions and cross-team dependencies, he acknowledged, but added: "difficulty is not an excuse for delay."
Researchers have warned that cryptographically relevant quantum machines could arrive before 2030, accelerating efforts to quantum-proof blockchain networks. Circle, Ethereum, Solana, Tezos and Algorand have all proposed quantum-resistant roadmaps, while the Bitcoin community remains divided on how to secure old coins against the threat.
Starknet's underlying cryptography uses zero-knowledge STARK (Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge) proofs, which Ben-Sasson described as "inherently post-quantum safe." He said that if Starknet can achieve quantum resistance by "seizing on this cryptography," then other chains can do the same by choosing the right cryptographic standards.
"The crypto industry shouldn't need wake-up calls from the White House or anyone else," Ben-Sasson said. "We should all be acting and seizing on the best cryptography that exists."
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
