Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed a new intent-based security method using transaction simulations. In an approach designed to protect users and simplify safe actions, wallets and smart contracts would need to verify a user’s goals before execution by simulating on-chain outcomes and checking against preset spending limits.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed using transaction simulations as a foundational security method for wallets and smart contracts. He explained the approach involves showing users a simulation of on-chain results before they approve a transaction. The system would only execute actions after confirming user intent, making security and user experience a unified challenge.
This intent-based methodology focuses on aligning a system’s execution with a user’s true goal. Implementation involves three aspects: mandatory transaction simulation before approval, preset spending limits for wallets, and requiring all multisig approvals for higher-risk cash transactions. Execution would proceed only if an action’s calculated outcome matches its prediction and stays within risk limits.
The intent-based system aims to make safe activities simple while making dangerous activities complex. Buterin admitted that perfectly defining user intent is difficult and may be impossible, noting that even users struggle to fully articulate their goals. His proposed solution requires multiple overlapping systems to verify intent signals simultaneously before any action occurs.
Security represents one component of the blockchain trilemma, alongside decentralization and scalability. Ethereum has achieved significant scalability progress in recent years through layer-2 network expansion and improved throughput. Buterin’s proposal suggests the network’s next evolution may hinge on smarter, intent-based security design rather than simply increasing speed. This evolution would aim to protect both decentralization and system scalability.
