Hassan Maishera
The long-discussed threat of quantum computing to modern encryption is moving from theory to urgency, according to leading cryptography and Ethereum researchers speaking in a recent Fhenix-hosted X space.
The panel, which included Fhenix founder Guy Zyskind, Ethereum privacy researcher Nico Serrano, and Fhenix researcher Doron Zarchy, focused on a growing industry concern: current internet security infrastructure may not withstand the arrival of quantum-capable adversaries.
For years, quantum computing has been framed as a distant risk. That framing is beginning to shift. “We don’t know when it hits. That’s exactly why it’s dangerous,” said Zyskind during the discussion, pointing to increasing uncertainty around timelines that were once considered safely a decade away.
At the core of the issue is cryptography. Much of today’s digital infrastructure, from HTTPS protocols to blockchain signatures, relies on mathematical assumptions that quantum computers could eventually break. According to the panel, this vulnerability is not isolated to crypto markets but extends across financial systems, identity layers, and the broader web.
Serrano outlined two distinct categories of quantum risk. The first, known as “harvest now, decrypt later,” involves adversaries collecting encrypted data today with the intention of decrypting it once quantum capabilities mature. The second, more immediate threat, is signature forgery, where attackers could impersonate users or entities if cryptographic protections fail.
“These are fundamentally different problems,” Serrano said, noting that they operate on different timelines and require separate mitigation strategies.
Despite growing awareness, much of the world’s infrastructure remains unprepared. Zarchy emphasized that while post-quantum cryptographic standards are beginning to emerge, real-world implementation lags significantly behind. “Most systems today are simply not post-quantum secure,” he said.
The conversation also highlighted Ethereum as one of the few ecosystems actively researching cryptographic upgrades. However, panelists agreed that the primary challenge is not developing solutions but deploying them at scale.
Migrating global systems to new cryptographic standards would require coordinated updates across wallets, applications, and user behavior. Unlike traditional software upgrades, changes at the cryptographic layer carry significant risk and limited room for error.
“You’re not just patching a bug,” one speaker noted during the session. “You’re replacing the foundation of the internet.”
The discussion further pointed to Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE), a technology being developed by Fhenix, as a potential component of future-proof systems. Panelists suggested that privacy-preserving computation and post-quantum security may ultimately converge into a unified infrastructure layer.
The urgency stems from a widening gap between threat timelines and implementation timelines. While quantum computing may still be several years away, the process of upgrading global infrastructure could take just as long, if not longer.
As a result, the industry is entering a critical preparation window. The shift to post-quantum security is increasingly seen not as a future upgrade, but as an inevitable transition already underway.
