The Ethereum Foundation has officially launched the Clear Signing open standard, introducing ERC-7730 to replace opaque hexadecimal transaction data with readable prompts. The framework is designed to eliminate blind signing, a security flaw that the foundation says has caused billions of dollars in losses across the ecosystem, including last year's Bybit exploit.
Under ERC-7730, wallets can display transaction details such as asset amounts, recipient addresses, and expected outcomes before users confirm. For instance, a DEX swap would show "Swap 1,000 USDC for ETH on Uniswap" instead of a raw hexadecimal string. The standard does not alter Ethereum's core infrastructure; it adds a verification and interpretation layer that wallets use to convert technical data into descriptions.
Industry Backing and Attestation
Major crypto infrastructure firms including Ledger, Trezor, MetaMask, WalletConnect, Fireblocks, Sourcify, Cyfrin, Zama, and ZKnox contributed to the rollout. Ledger previously developed early versions of clear signing internally. Tomáš Sušánka, CTO of Trezor, noted that attackers have repeatedly exploited blind signing because users could not tell malicious smart contracts from legitimate ones.
The initiative also introduces ERC-8176, an attestation framework that lets auditors and security providers verify descriptor integrity before wallets display transaction information. The descriptor registry remains open and permissionless: developers, auditors, and researchers can publish descriptors, while wallet providers independently choose which sources to trust.
Part of Trillion Dollar Security Effort
Clear Signing operates under the Ethereum Foundation's Trillion Dollar Security program. The rollout follows a string of major phishing attacks and wallet-draining exploits in DeFi. The foundation estimates that blind signing contributed to billions in ecosystem losses.
Several participating wallet providers are expected to integrate the standard throughout 2026. Developers involved in the initiative said broader adoption by wallets will determine the framework's long-term effectiveness.