Vitalik Buterin, a renowned developer of the Ethereum platform and a cryptocurrency market analyst, has expressed his opinion regarding the potential threat that quantum computers could pose to blockchain and cryptocurrencies. He emphasized that if quantum computers become available, malicious actors could use them to steal users' funds. To protect against such a threat, he said, the Ethereum blockchain would need to be updated through a hard fork process, requiring users to download new wallet software.

Buterin is confident that despite the seriousness of the problem, there are real ways to prevent the widespread consequences of a potential quantum attack. He noted that the infrastructure for implementing the necessary hard fork could be created in the shortest possible time, making the Ethereum ecosystem maximally prepared for such extraordinary situations.

In addition, Buterin pointed out that the majority of users' private keys are generated using multiple hash calculations, including through BIP-32, which creates each address through a series of hashes starting from the main original phrase. This, in his opinion, could serve as an additional level of protection against potential attacks.

Vitalik Buterin is a co-founder and key developer of Ethereum, a platform for creating and executing smart contracts and decentralized applications, which since its launch in 2015 has become one of the most significant and influential in the blockchain field. His contribution to the development of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies is recognized worldwide.