Aztec Sets an End-2030 Deadline for Post-Quantum Migration and Commits to Formally Verifying Its Whole Stack

Aztec, a privacy-focused layer-2 network on Ethereum, has published a post-quantum roadmap that targets full migration by the end of 2030. The schedule reported by KuCoin runs as follows. Hardened developer libraries come in February 2027. The team will select a post-quantum signature scheme in March, a public-key encryption scheme in July, and a post-quantum proving system in November.

Aztec says its current design already protects past private data against some "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks, where an adversary stores encrypted data today to break it later. The team says full quantum security still requires changes to applications, account authentication, key derivation, validator signatures, zero-knowledge proving and settlement on Ethereum. It also says the whole stack will have to be formally verified because AI now makes finding and exploiting bugs much easier.

The commitment follows a vulnerability Aztec found in its own system. Core contributors found a critical vulnerability in the Alpha V5 proving system on July 27 through internal AI-assisted auditing. The flaw could let an attacker build a proof that passes verification for a transaction the network should reject. Aztec said the system does not record which proofs went through the flawed path, so historical activity cannot show whether anyone exploited it. The team is working with operators, application teams and bridge operators to add safeguards around affected flows. The upcoming V6 release includes circuit changes that stop the network from accepting proofs tied to the affected proving system.