The Ethereum creator sounds the alarm: the crypto era faces its biggest threat in history. Do we really have only 3 years to act?
Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum co-founder and one of the most influential figures in the crypto world, has just issued a warning that has shaken the entire industry. At the Devconnect conference in Buenos Aires, he said that advanced quantum computers could break the core cryptography of Bitcoin and Ethereum before the 2028 US presidential election.
This is not science fiction – it is a real risk that could enable the theft of billions of dollars in cryptocurrency within seconds.
What exactly did Vitalik say?
Ordinary computers would need billions of years to do this. But quantum computers, using Shor’s algorithm, could do it in hours or even minutes.
Buterin stressed that the pace of quantum technology development is overwhelming. Companies such as Google, Microsoft and IBM are building machines with thousands of qubits, and breakthroughs are arriving every few months. Only recently, experts spoke of a threat after 2035 – now Vitalik says: it could happen before 2028.
Is this really so close?
- In 2025, Google and Microsoft announced new records in stable qubits.
- Experts at Metaculus (a forecasting platform) estimate about a 20% chance that a breakthrough occurs before 2030 – but Buterin believes the risk is higher and closer.
- If a quantum computer reaches the „fault-tolerant” level (resistant to errors), ECC will collapse like a house of cards.
What does this mean for your cryptocurrencies?
If the attack succeeds:
- Hackers will be able to calculate the private key from the public address.
- Old wallets (those where the public address was exposed) will become easy targets.
- Mass thefts, forged transactions and complete chaos on exchanges are possible.
Bitcoin may have a bigger problem – its network is slower to change. Ethereum, thanks to its active community, is already working on solutions.
There is hope: post-quantum cryptography
The good news? Solutions already exist!
- Algorithms resistant to quantum attacks (lattice-based, hash-based) are being standardized by NIST (the American agency).
- Ethereum plans a hard fork with new signatures (e.g. STARKs or lattice-based).
- Vitalik calls for action: „We need to move to quantum-resistant crypto within the next 4 years – the sooner, the better”.
Projects such as Kaspa and Cellframe already advertise themselves as „quantum-resistant”, but leaders like Ethereum and Bitcoin must act globally.
Summary: Don’t panic, but act
Vitalik’s warning is not clickbait – it is a wake-up call for the entire industry. A post on X by @cryptorover, which garnered nearly a million views, shows how strongly the topic resonates (although many accuse it of exaggeration – Vitalik’s original words are more measured, but equally urgent).
Should you sell everything? Absolutely not. This is an opportunity for cryptocurrencies to evolve into something even stronger.
But if you hold BTC or ETH in an old wallet – consider migrating to new addresses and follow the progress of quantum-resistant upgrades.
2028 is closer than you think. It is time to start preparing today.
