Adam Back threw shade at Ethereum after Ethereum researchers warned this week that AI could break the signatures securing Bitcoin and Ethereum "in months, not years" in the worst case, well before quantum computers arrive. Back, the Hashcash inventor and Blockstream chief executive, responded to the warning with the remark "Almost like Satoshi knew something," a jab at Ethereum's design choices. The Ethereum researchers' warning centered on the signature schemes that underpin both Bitcoin and Ethereum, which they said could be broken by AI far sooner than the quantum-computing threat the industry has long anticipated. Back's comment implies that Bitcoin's original design anticipated such risks in a way Ethereum's did not.
Blockstream CEO Adam Back's jab implies Bitcoin's original design anticipated these signature risks better than Ethereum's.
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Cardano Founder Hoskinson Pushes Back on Buterin's AI Lattice-Cryptography Threat Claim
Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano, pushed back on X on October 9 Japan time against the view that artificial intelligence threatens the security of lattice cryptography. Hoskinson criticized Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin's argument, saying it offered no concrete attack method or basis for its computational cost. Ahead of this debate, a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation warned on October 7 that AI could threaten the digital signatures used in crypto assets sooner than quantum computers would, and Buterin said the following day, October 8, that AI could accelerate mathematical research and uncover unknown weaknesses in lattice cryptography, adding that security could suffer a serious blow within the next two years and that increasing key sizes tenfold would also be reasonable. Hoskinson disputed the analogy to integer factorization, noting that lattice cryptography has years of accumulated research and verification, and said that anyone claiming a similar breakthrough must specify concretely what kind of attack it would be and what it would exploit. He also warned that avoiding the adoption of lattice cryptography before a concrete attack is demonstrated could delay the shift to secure communications prepared for quantum computers.
Cybersecurity & Digital Trust › Post-Quantum & Cryptographic Trust Technology
ADA · · Neutral Cardano founder Hoskinson disputes Buterin's claim that AI threatens lattice cryptography, arguing no concrete attack was shown; no direct business impact on Cardano.
ETH · · Neutral Ethereum co-founder Buterin argued AI could accelerate discovery of weaknesses in lattice cryptography within two years; a security debate, not a direct Ethereum business development.
Buterin Warns AI-Driven Math Advances Could Strike Lattice Cryptography Within Two Years
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin posted on X on the 8th, Japan time, that AI-accelerated advances in mathematics make it quite possible that the practical security of lattice cryptography will suffer a serious blow within the next two years. Lattice cryptography is a method based on the difficulty of solving mathematical problems on high-dimensional lattices, and has been regarded as the leading candidate for post-quantum cryptography. The previous day, Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake warned that, citing OpenAI's publication of 722 mathematics papers, the ECDSA signature scheme used by Bitcoin and Ethereum could be broken before Q-Day, the point at which quantum computers crack cryptography, and in the worst case within a matter of months. Drake called on the industry to prepare for bunker mode, proposed systematically moving assets to unused addresses whose public keys have not been exposed, and urged five companies including Binance and bitbank to strengthen their cold wallets. Buterin said he does not recommend rushing to move funds to new wallets today, but added that reliance on cryptography vulnerable to AI should also be reduced, and that if lattice cryptography is used, key sizes should be increased tenfold. Just about three weeks ago, Buterin said that AI also helps defense, so crypto asset security will not collapse; this time he has raised his assessment of the threat by one notch. Blockchains that have considered lattice-based approaches for post-quantum security may be forced to reconsider their strategy.
ETH · Technology · Negative Buterin warns lattice cryptography's practical security could be seriously undermined within two years, forcing Ethereum to reconsider its post-quantum strategy.
BTC · Technology · Negative Researcher warns ECDSA signatures used by Bitcoin could be broken by AI-accelerated math advances, threatening its cryptography.
bitbank · Technology · Neutral Drake urged bitbank among five companies to strengthen cold wallets, but no concrete impact on its business is described.
Cloudflare Becomes Public Certificate Authority, Launches Basin Data Platform
Cloudflare has become a public Certificate Authority, issuing post-quantum ready TLS certificates to external organizations. The company also introduced Basin, an open-source serverless data platform designed to handle application data without dedicated infrastructure management. In addition, Cloudflare entered a major partnership with Deutsche Telekom to offer joint security and connectivity services to enterprise clients across Europe. The moves extend Cloudflare beyond protecting and accelerating traffic into owning key trust primitives and a neutral, open data layer, in contrast to more closed ecosystems at players like Amazon or Microsoft. The Deutsche Telekom tie-up deepens enterprise penetration through large multi-product deals while testing a flagged risk around customer concentration and execution at scale.
NET · Demand · Positive Major partnership with Deutsche Telekom to offer joint security and connectivity services deepens enterprise penetration in Europe.
NET · Technology · Positive Cloudflare became a public Certificate Authority issuing post-quantum ready TLS certificates and launched the open-source Basin data platform.
DTE.XETRA · Demand · Positive Deutsche Telekom entered a major partnership with Cloudflare to offer joint security and connectivity services to European enterprise clients.
Europol Warns of Crypto Theft Risk from Quantum Attacks
The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, Europol, published a report on October 7 warning of the risk of cryptocurrency theft through quantum computers. If a sufficiently powerful quantum computer emerges, it could potentially derive a wallet's private key from a public key exposed externally, raising the danger that attackers could transfer assets without the owner's permission. The report cites this key mechanism as the main vulnerability to quantum attacks, while explaining that the hash functions underpinning the integrity of blockchain records are relatively resistant to quantum attacks. Europol recommended a gradual migration to "post-quantum cryptography" designed to withstand quantum attacks, and also listed improving wallet security and key management, as well as informing users about update and migration procedures, as countermeasures. Moves toward countermeasures are also emerging for Bitcoin: the blockchain development company StarkWare announced on August 26 that a quantum-resistant BTC transaction had been completed on a live network for the first time, and the Ethereum Foundation has also launched a dedicated site for post-quantum readiness and is advancing preparations for the transition.
BTC · Technology · Negative Europol warns quantum computers could derive exposed public keys and steal Bitcoin, though StarkWare's quantum-resistant BTC transaction is a mitigating step.
ETH · Technology · Negative Europol's quantum-theft warning applies to crypto wallets broadly, and the Ethereum Foundation is only preparing post-quantum readiness.
Cisco Adds Quantum XChange Post Quantum Security App to Marketplace
Cisco Systems has added Quantum XChange's post quantum cryptography solution to the Cisco Networking App Marketplace, offering quantum safe key management that plugs directly into Cisco networking equipment. The company said this is the first FIPS validated post quantum cryptography product available through its marketplace. The integration lines up with Cisco's push to embed more security functions inside the network itself and with its focus on secure AI infrastructure, including projects such as the Bell Canada sovereign AI platform for regulated workloads. The key proof point going forward is customer adoption of Cisco's quantum safe and AI security offerings, particularly in government and regulated sectors, with upcoming quarterly reports and customer case studies as the places to watch for references to quantum resistant deployments on existing Cisco hardware and to new deals tied to sovereign or high sensitivity AI projects.
Cybersecurity & Digital Trust › Network Security & SASE ▲Technology
CSCO · Technology · Positive Cisco adds Quantum XChange's FIPS-validated post-quantum cryptography app to its Networking App Marketplace, advancing its quantum-safe and AI security offerings.
Quantum XChange · Demand · Positive Quantum XChange's post-quantum cryptography solution is now offered through Cisco's marketplace, expanding its distribution and customer reach.
WISeSat.Space to Ring Nasdaq Opening Bell, Host Quantum Space Security Roundtable
WISeSat.Space Holdings Corp. announced that its management team will ring the Nasdaq Opening Bell on Friday, October 9, 2026, celebrating the listing of its ordinary shares on Nasdaq and outlining its strategy to develop trusted, quantum-resilient space communications. Following the ceremony at 151 West 43rd Street, the company will host a Quantum Space Security Roundtable from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, bringing together experts in space, quantum technology and cybersecurity to discuss protecting satellite communications against emerging quantum computing threats. The roundtable will be held in two sessions moderated by Founder and CEO Carlos Moreira: the first, "Space Security and Sovereignty," will feature Jessica Rosenworcel, Executive Director of the MIT Media Lab and former Chair of the US Federal Communications Commission; Cristina Dolan, Non-Executive Director of SEALSQ; Liz Hanson, Managing Director of Technology Investment Banking at KeyBanc Capital Markets; and Mark Minevich, Strategic Partner at Mayfield and President of Going Global Ventures. The second session, "Building the Secure Space Stack," will feature Julián Fernández, CEO and Co-founder of FOSSA Systems; Nick Farina, Co-founder and CEO of EeroQ; and, from WISeSat.Space, Philip Hamelink, Interim Head; Gwenael Rouy-Poirier, Chief Financial Officer; and Alex Moreira, Satellite Sales Engineer. The event will highlight WISeSat.Space's role in supporting the planned Quantum Spatial Orbital Cloud roadmap, a SEALSQ-owned quantum and post-quantum service roadmap expected to leverage WISeSat satellite infrastructure as part of its future orbital layer, with the company intending to expand that orbital infrastructure through planned next-generation satellite missions.
Cybersecurity & Digital Trust › Post-Quantum & Cryptographic Trust ▲Technology
Space Economy › Satellite Connectivity & Direct-to-Device Technology
SAIQ · Technology · Positive WISeSat.Space is the subject, highlighting its quantum-resilient space communications strategy and planned next-generation satellite missions.
LAES · · Neutral SEALSQ is mentioned only as owner of the quantum/post-quantum roadmap and as the affiliation of a roundtable panelist; no company-specific development.