Ethereum Foundation Unveils Trillion Dollar Security Roadmap

The Ethereum Foundation has released its first Trillion Dollar Security (1TS) report, outlining a comprehensive roadmap to address critical security challenges facing the Ethereum network. This initiative aims to support trillions in global on-chain value by identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities across six core areas: user experience, smart contracts, infrastructure, consensus, incident response, and governance.

The report is based on extensive feedback from developers, users, and security professionals. It serves as a foundational roadmap for Ethereum’s next phase of security improvements, addressing the growing need for enhanced security measures as the network scales.

One of the key areas highlighted in the report is user experience. Much of Ethereum’s security burden still falls on end users due to poor wallet user interfaces, blind signing, and inconsistent permission controls. These issues create recurring threats and hinder safe usage. Additionally, institutional users face friction in managing keys, audit trails, and custom workflows, which are poorly supported by the current infrastructure.

Smart contract security, though improved, still suffers from upgrade risks, access control failures, and low adoption of formal verification. The report also notes dependencies on centralized infrastructure, such as RPC providers, DNS, and cloud hosts, which undermine Ethereum’s decentralization guarantees. Layer-2 solutions introduce new complexities, and the potential for ISP-level censorship and DNS hijacking remains underacknowledged.

At the protocol level, the report notes that validator centralization and unclear recovery procedures continue to raise concerns about Ethereum’s resilience in edge-case failures. The report also flags a long-term transition to quantum-resistant cryptography as an essential step.

Ethereum’s ability to respond to threats remains limited by gaps in monitoring, coordination, and recovery. Responders often face delays when trying to contact compromised teams or escalate issues across platforms. Without clear communication channels or pre-established contacts, valuable time is lost during incidents. The report also noted a lack of effective monitoring tools for detecting on-chain and off-chain threats early. In many cases, security breaches go unnoticed until after damage is done.

Insurance coverage remains scarce. Unlike traditional financial systems, Ethereum applications have limited access to insurance, leaving users and organizations exposed to total loss in the event of an exploit. On the governance side, the report warned that Ethereum’s social layer, its network of developers, institutions, and cultural norms, is itself a potential vector for attack. It highlighted risks from stake centralization, regulatory pressure, and organizational influence that could shift Ethereum’s direction away from neutrality. The lack of established processes for “social slashing” was also flagged as a critical gap in the event of validator collusion or protocol capture.