Coinbase on Thursday announced an independent advisory board focused on quantum computing and blockchain security. The advisory board includes University of Texas at Austin professor Scott Aaronson; UC Santa Barbara Foundations of Fintech Research Lab head Dahlia Malkhi; Stanford cryptographer Dan Boneh; Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake; University of Washington associate professor and EigenLayer founder Sreeram Kannan; and Coinbase Head of Cryptography Yehuda Lindell. Coinbase said the advisory board will publish papers assessing quantum-related risks, issue guidance for users and developers, and provide independent analysis following significant developments in quantum computing. No one actually knows how much longer we have until quantum computers are able to break current public-key cryptosystems, which could plausibly be anywhere from a few years to a few decades.
What’s clear is that we do need to be thinking, right now, about the transition to post-quantum cryptosystems, and that we need the ability to react to future events as they happen. Bitcoin and Ethereum rely on elliptic-curve cryptography, which researchers say could be broken by sufficiently powerful, error-corrected quantum machines using Shor’s algorithm, allowing attackers to derive private keys from public ones. In response, developers across major networks have begun exploring post-quantum cryptographic approaches and migration paths, including hybrid signature schemes and staged upgrades, as they debate trade-offs around performance, coordination, and timing. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has argued that protocols should adopt quantum-resistant cryptography well before the threat becomes practical, while others, including Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson, have warned that moving too quickly could significantly slow networks without adequate hardware support.
Anastasia Marchenkova, a quantum researcher and advisor to post-quantum cryptography firm BTQ, told Decrypt the announcement is timely and important for the longevity of cryptocurrencies. She noted that discussions about quantum threats have gained urgency as regulators formalize post-quantum standards, and she emphasized that the advisory board’s mix of academic and industry expertise helps address cooperation challenges in post-quantum security planning. Marchenkova added that Coinbase’s openness carries weight for banks and infrastructure providers increasingly considering post-quantum threats, and that their involvement can help bring the quantum conversation to everyday crypto users.
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