Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has raised concerns about the risks associated with off-chain validator trust, despite the blockchain's strong consensus mechanism. Buterin pointed out that while a 51% attack cannot validate an invalid block, systems dependent on off-chain validation are susceptible to collusion and software failures. He referenced past incidents such as the 2020 bZx and Compound protocol failures, which led to significant financial losses due to oracle misbehavior. Currently, Ethereum is trading at $3,934, marking a 4.85% increase in the last 24 hours, although it remains 13.75% lower over the past 60 days. Looking ahead, Layer 2 networks are projected to manage nearly 90% of Ethereum transactions by 2025, solidifying Ethereum's position as a primary settlement layer.