Solana adopts Falcon signatures; CEO warns Ethereum L2s unsafe

Anatoly Yakovenko, CEO of Solana Labs, wrote on X on May 2 that “Ethereum L2s are not quantum safe; abandon all hope.” The statement followed an April 27 post from the Solana Foundation outlining its work on post‑quantum cryptography and the publication of initial code on GitHub by Solana client teams Anza and Firedancer.

Anza and Firedancer implemented the Falcon digital signature scheme, a post‑quantum algorithm, and uploaded early implementations for public review. The Solana Foundation said the work is part of a phased plan that begins with research and wallet‑level changes rather than immediate protocol upgrades.

Security concerns focus on elliptic curve cryptography, which underpins many blockchains and wallets. Most Ethereum Layer‑2 user wallets use the secp256k1 curve and the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA). When users broadcast transactions, public keys are exposed on the ledger. Observers warn adversaries could record those public keys now and attempt to reconstruct private keys later if sufficiently powerful quantum computers run algorithms such as Shor’s.

The foundation explained that Solana chose Falcon partly because it offers relatively small signature sizes and can maintain high throughput, attributes the teams view as compatible with Solana’s performance aims. The foundation added that broader network updates would depend on the development of quantum hardware and practical demonstration of quantum attacks.

Analysts and researchers note the vulnerability is not limited to Layer‑2 systems. Ethereum, Solana and Bitcoin all use elliptic curve methods to validate transactions. Layer‑2 solutions that inherit cryptographic primitives from their main chains would carry the same risks unless both layers migrate to quantum‑resistant schemes.

Researchers across the industry are testing multiple post‑quantum signature methods. Technical challenges include larger data and computational requirements, which complicate deployment on active networks. Experts say coordinated planning is required for any upgrade to avoid operational disruption.

The Solana Foundation’s GitHub repositories and documentation invite review and testing by developers and auditors. The foundation framed the work as preparatory research and wallet changes first, with protocol changes only if quantum computing reaches a level that poses a practical threat. Yakovenko also raised economic concerns about Layer‑2 rollups, arguing that multiple rollups can fragment liquidity and shift transaction revenue away from base layers, a point that has been the subject of debate within the blockchain community.