Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, pointed out the potential effects of artificial intelligence on cryptographic systems. According to Buterin, in the next two years, artificial intelligence-supported mathematical research may seriously reduce the durability of some encryption methods that are considered secure today.
Buterin stated that not only cryptographic methods that are vulnerable to quantum computers, but also systems based on mathematical problems that can be solved thanks to artificial intelligence should be taken into consideration.
“50 years of mathematical progress is possible in two years”
The most striking part of Buterin's statement was his assessment of the potential of artificial intelligence to accelerate mathematical discoveries.
The co-founder of Ethereum stated that a scenario in which artificial intelligence can achieve the mathematical progress that can be achieved in 50 years under normal conditions in two years is not far-fetched.
According to Buterin, such a development could lead to the discovery of today's unknown vulnerabilities, especially in lattice-based cryptographic systems.
Citing the algorithms developed in the past for factoring large numbers as an example, Buterin reminded that mathematical problems that were initially considered extremely difficult can become much easier to solve with new methods.
Stating that a similar development could occur in elliptic curve cryptography and lattice-based systems, Buterin argued that mathematical methods that humans have not yet discovered can be discovered by artificial intelligence.
Quantum-resistant systems may also be at risk
Buterin stated that until now, in the field of cryptography, the prevailing opinion is that elliptic curves carry risks, whereas hash functions and lattice-based systems are considered safe.
On the other hand, according to the famous developer, artificial intelligence-supported mathematical research, especially in the next two years, may cause a serious blow to the practical security of lattice-based cryptography.
In this context, drawing attention to digital signature systems such as ML-DSA and fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) technologies, Buterin stated that the parameters used in lattice-based methods should be determined much more cautiously.
Buterin also said that increasing key sizes by 10 times in some systems may be a reasonable approach for long-term security.
Why is Ethereum moving towards hash-based systems?
Buterin stated that these risks are one of the main reasons why Ethereum focuses on hash-based cryptography.
In this approach, hash-based signature methods such as WOTS and SPHINCS are preferred instead of lattice-based signature systems.
According to Buterin, hash-based methods offer a more reliable option than cage-based systems in areas where they can be used.
However, Buterin stated that public key encryption continues to be an important problem and emphasized that it is not possible to create such a system by using only hash functions.
He stated that the risks in question concern not only blockchains, but also secure messaging applications, access to websites, and privacy and communication technologies such as Tor and VPN.
“Don't change your wallets right away”
Buterin especially emphasized that cryptocurrency users should not panic despite possible threats.
Stating that he does not recommend anyone to rush to new wallets today, Buterin stated that it may be useful in cases where it is possible to keep funds in addresses that have not been used for transactions before.
This is because, in case digital signature algorithms such as ECDSA weaken earlier than expected, the public keys of addresses that have previously traded will become visible in the blockchain.
However, Buterin also pointed out that wallet switching in itself carries significant risks.
The famous developer said, “I personally lost more money in faulty wallet switches than in all hacks.” he said.
For this reason, he emphasized that users should not move their existing funds in a hurry and create new risks while implementing security measures.
