Vitalik Buterin Redefines Crypto Security, Says “Perfect Security” Is Impossible

Key Takeaways:

• Vitalik Buterin indicates that security and user experience are related closely based on its nature, therefore systems need to guarantee the operation in line with users’ needs.
• He points out that “perfect security” is unrealistic because human needs are too complicated for a completely correct encoding.
• He suggests some solutions such as trading stimulation, multisig wallets, spending limit and supplementary identification layers.

Vitalik has given a new spin on crypto security, presenting it as bridging the difference between meaning and implementation in the form of a blockchain. His opinions triggered a wide discussion in the Ethereum community on wallet design and security levels of smart contracts.

Read More: Vitalik Warns Prediction Markets Are ‘Cursed,’ Pushes Hedging to Replace Fiat

Security Is About Intent, Not Just Code

Beterin said that the core objective of security is to minimize the deviation between users’ intention and practical behaviors of the system. According to him, “user experience” is an integral part of security because both of them depend on whether the system can do correctly users’ expectations.

How I think about “security”:

The goal is to minimize the divergence between the user’s intent, and the actual behavior of the system.

“User experience” can also be defined in this way. Thus, “user experience” and “security” are thus not separate fields. However, “security”…

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) February 22, 2026

He explained that perfect protection is impossible. Not because machines are misguided, but because it is difficult to pinpoint the real meaning of what the folk are saying. Even a simple action like “send 1 ETH to Bob” carries hidden ambiguity. A public key may represent Bob, but users must still trust that the address truly belongs to him. Chain splits, wallet UI experience, and phishing threats are all increasing the threat gap.

The deeper the goals the higher the challenge jumps such as maintaining privacy. Encrypting data may not be enough – metadata, timing information and the network conversation can be revealing information.

Read More: Vitalik Buterin Sells $6.6M ETH in 3 Days as Ethereum Price Wobbles

Redundancy as the Core Design Principle

According to Butterin, a good security rests upon the piling of intent signals. Instead of issuing one command, two or more checks should be made by the system to validate an action.

Role of LLMs and Smart Systems

Large language models were also mentioned by Butterin. He describes them as the tools that are able to predict the intention of people by serving as the “shadow” of common sense. An algorithmic robot would be able to identify suspicious behavior or alert to dangerous trades.

Nonetheless, he cautions that the bosses should not be limited to LLMs. They are merely another bit of redundancy. The true security is achieved with the accumulation of independent checks that strike intent on a multiplicity of angles.

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