AI news · Crypto · security
Ethereum researchers warn AI maths could break wallet keys
Justin Drake calls for a gradual move of funds to fresh addresses, and Vitalik Buterin says the risk from AI-accelerated mathematics deserves attention.
Ethereum researcher Justin Drake urged the crypto industry this week to prepare a “bunker mode”, warning that AI advances in mathematics could break the elliptic-curve signatures that secure wallets, Cointelegraph reports. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin backed taking the risk seriously, while advising holders not to rush their funds into new wallets today.
Drake’s warning followed OpenAI’s release on Tuesday 6 October of hundreds of AI-produced mathematical results. He recommends a gradual move of funds to fresh addresses whose public keys have never been revealed, with large holders going first. Buterin said lattice-based schemes, built to withstand quantum computers, are exposed too, and said this is one reason Ethereum’s roadmap is moving towards hash-based cryptography.
Computer scientist Scott Aaronson wrote in an update to his blog that his sources say AI labs have quietly begun checking whether their newest internal models can crack major encryption schemes. He notes that cryptography is missing from OpenAI’s list of released papers.
For any business holding crypto, Drake’s advice is cheap to follow: keep funds in addresses whose public keys have never been exposed.
Sources
- Cointelegraph: Justin Drake urges crypto bunker mode as AI could break wallet security within months. Checked
- Scott Aaronson: Shtetl-Optimized. Checked
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