Ethereum Foundation: Shifting to security priority and setting 128-bit security standards for 2026

On December 18th, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) announced that the performance bottleneck of real-time proofs (RTPs) has been cleared, and the focus will shift from speed to security. Due to the recent cracking of some mathematical conjectures relied upon by the STARK-based zkEVM, leading to a decrease in its effective security, EF announced that 128-bit proof security will be the non-negotiated standard for L1. The roadmap shows that by the end of February 2026, all teams must integrate the security assessment tool soundcalc; by the end of May, the Glamsterdam phase must achieve 100-bit proof security with a proof size below 600KB; and by the end of 2026, the H-star phase must achieve 128-bit proof security and a proof size below 300KB. Furthermore, EF recommends using new technologies such as WHIR to balance proof size and security, aiming to ensure that validators verify proofs without re-executing transactions, thereby supporting increased gas limits and the implementation of home staking.