TechFlow reports that Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, published a post titled "How to Rescue User Funds from an Unexpected Quantum Attack via Hard Fork" on the Ethereum Research Forum.
In it, Vitalik mentioned that if quantum attacks arrive earlier than expected and account abstraction has not yet been fully implemented, Ethereum could still resolve the issue through a "recovery fork." The proposed changes during such a fork would include:
First, roll back all blocks created after the large-scale attack;
Second, disable traditional transaction methods based on EOA addresses;
Third, (if not already implemented by then) introduce a new transaction type enabling transactions via smart contract wallets (such as parts described in RIP-7560);
Fourth, add a new transaction type or opcode allowing users to submit STARK proofs; upon successful verification, the code at their address will be switched to newly verified code, enabling them to use this updated address as a smart contract wallet;
Fifth, to save gas costs, and given the large data size of STARK proofs, batched STARK proofs will be supported to process multiple such STARK verifications simultaneously.
The infrastructure required for implementing such a hard fork could theoretically begin development now, ensuring the Ethereum ecosystem remains maximally prepared for any potential quantum emergency.
