Bitcoin May Avoid Immediate Quantum Upgrade With New Workaround: Study
A new study proposes a "Quantum Safe Bitcoin" (QSB) workaround that could protect new BTC transactions from quantum attacks without requiring a change to the Bitcoin protocol. Developed by StarkWare's Avihu Levy, the method operates within Bitcoin's existing rules, replacing elliptic curve math with a hash-to-signature puzzle that relies on brute-force computation, which is resistant to quantum attacks.
This approach is praised by some, like StarkWare's CEO, as a way to make Bitcoin quantum-safe today. However, critics note it doesn't address vulnerabilities in existing exposed public keys or dormant wallets, which hold an estimated 1.7 million BTC. The scheme is also computationally expensive, costing $75-$150 per transaction, making it suitable only for large transfers and not for daily use or scaling solutions like the Lightning Network.
While presented as a temporary fix, the researchers acknowledge that long-term protocol-level changes are still the preferred solution. The proposal emerges amid ongoing debate in the Bitcoin community about how to address quantum computing threats, following recent research that has intensified the discussion.
bitcoinist04/10 17:03
