What is Ethereum’s new “clear signing” proposal?

Ethereum Foundation and major wallet providers proposed a new standard called “clear signing” designed to replace risky blind signing practices. The goal is to let users clearly see and understand transaction details before approving them.

What is blind signing in crypto?

Blind signing happens when users approve blockchain transactions written in technical machine-readable code that is difficult to understand. Many users sign transactions without fully knowing what permissions or asset transfers they are authorising.

Why is blind signing considered dangerous?

Blind signing has been linked to major crypto hacks and phishing attacks because users can unknowingly approve malicious transactions. Developers say the practice weakens one of the final security checks before assets move on-chain.

How would clear signing improve crypto security?

The proposal would create a “what you see is what you sign” experience for wallets. Instead of confusing code prompts, users would receive human-readable transaction descriptions explaining exactly what actions they are approving.

Which companies and organisations are supporting the proposal?

The working group includes the Ethereum Foundation, Ledger, Trezor, MetaMask and WalletConnect.

Why was the Bybit hack mentioned in the proposal?

The proposal follows major crypto exploits including the nearly $1.5 billion Bybit hack, which highlighted weaknesses tied to opaque transaction-signing systems. Developers believe clearer signing standards could reduce similar risks in the future.

What are ERC-7730 and ERC-8176?

ERC-7730 and ERC-8176 are Ethereum Improvement Proposals that support human-readable transaction descriptions and transaction verification frameworks. The clear-signing initiative builds on those technical standards to improve wallet transparency and security.

Is this bullish for Ethereum adoption?

Potentially, yes. Better transaction security and user experience could help Ethereum attract more mainstream and institutional users who may currently see crypto wallets as too risky or difficult to use.

Ethereum developers target blind signing risks

Written by Liezl GambePublished May. 13 2026

A group of Ethereum developers and wallet providers proposed a new “clear signing” standard designed to eliminate blind signing, a transaction approval process widely blamed for major crypto security losses.

The proposal would replace machine-readable transaction prompts with human-readable signing requests that allow users to clearly understand what actions they are authorising before approving transactions on-chain.

“Approving a transaction is meant to be the last line of defense when exercising control over what happens to your assets on the blockchain,”

The Ethereum Foundation said in a blog post.

“When it is done blindly, that defense does not hold,”

The Ethereum Foundation added.

The initiative follows a series of major crypto security incidents, including the nearly $1.5 billion Bybit exploit last year, which highlighted vulnerabilities linked to opaque transaction-signing flows.

The working group behind the proposal includes the Ethereum Foundation, hardware wallet providers Ledger and Trezor, alongside wallet infrastructure firms MetaMask and WalletConnect.

The proposed framework builds on existing Ethereum Improvement Proposals ERC-7730 and ERC-8176 while introducing decentralised descriptor registries and developer tooling aimed at improving transaction transparency.

The Ethereum Foundation said the initiative forms part of its broader Trillion Dollar Security Initiative, launched in 2025 to improve blockchain security standards for institutional adoption and large-scale on-chain asset ownership.

At the time of reporting, Ethereum price was $2,292.19.