Introduction The arrival of commercial quantum computing is no longer a remote possibility, but a matter of time. Giants like Google, IBM and Alibaba are already demonstrating applied quantum computing capabilities that, if further developed, will put at risk all the cryptographic security on which blockchain is founded. Bitcoin, Ethereum and most public chains use elliptic algorithms and hash functions that an advanced quantum computer could break in minutes. We’re not talking about theory.We’re talking about an existential threat to Web3. The only truly solid path today, at post-quantum and already available level, is represented by ZK-STARK, developed by StarkWare and already implemented on StarkNet. The real risk: classical cryptography vs quantum algorithms A sufficiently powerful quantum computer, using Shor’s algorithm, can: Break ECDSA, the signature scheme used by Bitcoin and Ethereum. Derive private keys from already exposed public keys (e.g. in signed transactions). Make current security based on secp256k1 elliptic curves useless. Similarly, Grover’s algorithm drastically reduces the complexity to attack hash functions (e.g. SHA-256), which today are considered resistant. The false security of “marketing” solutions Many Layer 2s like Polygon or hybrid ZK solutions try to position themselves as quantum computing resistant futures. However: They still use underlying elliptic signatures. They depend on trusted setup or vulnerable cryptographic systems. They focus more on marketing than on a true post-quantum architecture. The real answer: ZK-STARK ZK-STARK (Zero-Knowledge Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge) is the only proven, scalable and post-quantum-safe technology.Here’s why: Transparent: doesn’t require trusted setup, unlike ZK-SNARK. No backdoors. Post-quantum: based on hash functions and on arithmetic operations resistant to quantum attacks. Scalable: extremely fast verifications and compatibility with high transaction density systems. Already operational: implemented on StarkNet,...
