Post-quantum | Bit.Fan

Casa security chief says Bitcoin is already behind if quantum migration window is under 10 years

Casa Chief Security Officer Jameson Lopp said a quantum computer capable of breaking Bitcoin remains orders of magnitude away, but warned that the network is already behind on quantum-resistance planning if the industry has less than a decade before "Q-Day." His estimate suggests roughly 2.6 million BTC, worth about $207 billion and representing around 13% of supply, sit in public-key addresses that may not be able to migrate. Oxford quantum computing lecturer Gogioso has projected that Q-Day could arrive in the early to mid-2030s. A proposal he co-authored, BIP-361, would phase out signature schemes vulnerable to quantum attacks over time. Coinbase has also published a post-quantum readiness plan, according to BeInCrypto. Even so, Bitcoin still does not have a unified migration timetable at the protocol level, leaving the timing and coordination of any future transition unresolved.

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Bitcoin

10 days agoNews Editor

Bitcoin and Ethereum Are Taking Different Routes Toward Post-Quantum Wallets

Bitcoin and Ethereum are not approaching post-quantum wallets in the same way, according to TheDefiant. The report says Ethereum contracts can already verify alternative signatures today, giving the network a path to support new cryptographic methods at the contract level. That does not mean existing accounts are automatically protected, however. The article notes that securing those accounts requires more than simply adding a new signer. Bitcoin, by contrast, is being discussed through the lens of the P2MR proposal, but TheDefiant says that proposal does not itself introduce post-quantum signatures. In other words, the proposal should not be read as a direct deployment of quantum-resistant signing for Bitcoin wallets. The distinction leaves the two networks on separate technical tracks: Ethereum can verify alternative signatures in contracts now, while Bitcoin’s cited proposal does not by itself deliver post-quantum signatures. The report frames this as a divergence in how the two largest blockchains may move toward post-quantum wallet protection.

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Starknet

11 days agoNews Editor

Starknet community backs study on leaving Ethereum, with post-quantum L1 paper due in November

Starknet said a seven-day Snapshot governance poll showed more than 93.5% of voting power in favor of studying whether the network should move from an Ethereum Layer 2 design to an independent post-quantum Layer 1. More than 2,800 independent active wallets took part in the vote. Following the result, StarkWare co-founder and CEO Eli Ben-Sasson said on X that the core engineering team plans to publish a draft white paper for a post-quantum L1 architecture in November 2026 and open it to public review by developers and academics. The team also stressed that the poll was only an authorization for early technical exploration, not a decision to fork or migrate. Any actual move toward an independent mainnet would still require engineering validation and a final onchain proposal from STRK holders. To address concerns around dilution and liquidity fragmentation, the Starknet Foundation said STRK would remain the network’s only native token and gas asset under either path, and that the two-way bridge between Ethereum and Starknet would remain permanently open.

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Starknet

17 days agoNews Editor

Starknet Opens First Governance Vote on Researching a Shift to an Independent Post-Quantum Layer 1

Starknet has opened its first governance vote on whether the network should study a possible move away from Ethereum and operate as an independent post-quantum Layer 1. The non-binding Snapshot poll is open from 09:32 UTC on Oct. 15 to the same time on Oct. 22, and only asks whether the research should proceed, not whether a transition should be approved. According to a forum post tied to the vote, Starknet Foundation member Henri said the network’s own components could become quantum-resistant soon, while its bridge and data availability layer still depend on Ethereum’s timeline. The proposal says a switch, if ever pursued, would require a separate governance process. It also states that STRK would remain the token and no new token would be created, while Ethereum-to-Starknet bridges would stay open regardless of the outcome. Early Snapshot data showed 293 votes cast by about 14:40 UTC on Oct. 15, with 99.9% of roughly 179.8 million voting power backing the research option.

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Zcash

17 days agoNews Editor

Zcash drops 11% in 24 hours as long liquidations hit $17.9 million

Privacy coin Zcash fell 11% over the past 24 hours, bringing its market capitalization to $18.5 billion and putting it among the day’s bigger decliners in crypto markets. Data from CoinGlass showed that long liquidations in Zcash reached $17.9 million during the same period, above Hyperliquid’s $7.3 million. Luke Nolan, senior research associate at CoinShares, said the pullback was amplified by leverage that had built up during the token’s earlier rapid rise. He added that Zcash was still up 460% from its March low, framing the move as a possible retracement after a sharp rally. Other market participants pointed to a separate narrative around cryptography risk. Ryan Zurrer, founder and chief investment officer at Dialectic, said OpenAI’s progress in mathematics research had fueled concern across the crypto sector that AI could one day help break cryptographic systems, with privacy protocols seen as more exposed. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake had previously warned that the industry should prepare for a “bunker mode.” Zcash full-node developer Zakura said the team expects to deliver quantum resistance, with some degree of AI resistance, before January. HashKey senior researcher Tim Sun said Zcash’s post-quantum roadmap had helped drive the recent rally, though implementation would still take time.

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Starknet

18 days agoNews Editor

Starknet opens community vote on researching a move beyond Ethereum as a post-quantum L1

Starknet has opened a seven-day, non-binding vote asking STRK holders whether the network should study becoming an independent post-quantum Layer 1 rather than remaining tied to Ethereum’s upgrade path. The poll gives tokenholders three choices: support more research, oppose the idea, or stay neutral until more details are available, with voting set to close on Oct. 22 and results to be released afterward. The proposal does not authorize a transition. A favorable result would only indicate support for additional research, while any actual move would still require new proposals and governance votes. StarkWare, the developer behind Starknet, said the idea could let the network pursue quantum-resistant security without waiting for Ethereum’s timeline, since Starknet still depends on Ethereum for parts of its infrastructure such as its bridge and data availability. StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson said quantum-proofing crypto is urgent and argued that progress at Ethereum and Bitcoin has been slower. Earlier signals from Ben-Sasson and Starknet on X on Oct. 8 framed the effort around a 2027 goal of becoming the first fully quantum-resistant network. StarkWare had already published a three-phase roadmap in June, while Ethereum developers formed a dedicated post-quantum team in March targeting initial protocol-level protections by 2029.

770

STRK

22 days agoNews Editor

STRK jumps 55% in 24 hours, briefly tops $0.12 as Starknet L1 and post-quantum narrative gains traction

STRK, the token tied to Starknet, extended its 24-hour gain to 55% and briefly moved above $0.12 before trading at $0.11, according to HTX market data. The move put it at the top of the altcoin market on the day. Traders appeared to focus on recent comments from StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson, who said blockchains need post-quantum readiness and cryptographic agility as quantum computing and AI acceleration create new security pressure. In remarks at Token2049 and in follow-up comments, Ben-Sasson said Starknet is actively weighing several paths, including separating from Ethereum and becoming an independent Layer 1 network. He said that route would allow the project to control the pace of its security migration, with a target of achieving full quantum resistance by 2027, earlier than Ethereum’s current timeline. The token’s move also came alongside recent product and ecosystem updates. Starknet’s v0.14.4 mainnet release went live on Oct. 5, expanding SNIP-36 single-proof capacity to about 1.1 billion L2 gas and allowing verification of proofs for larger off-chain computation. On Oct. 2, the strkBTC incentive program launched, covering bridge fees for the first 100 bridged BTC and distributing a weekly faucet.

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Vitalik Buterin

25 days agoNews Editor

Vitalik says AI-driven math breakthroughs could threaten crypto wallets before quantum computing

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin says the crypto industry should take seriously the risk that artificial intelligence could speed up mathematical research and shorten the effective lifespan of today’s cryptographic systems. His warning came in response to comments from Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake, who argued that a meaningful break in existing cryptography may not need to wait for large-scale quantum computers. Buterin also stressed that there is no public evidence that AI has broken the wallet signatures used by Bitcoin or Ethereum, and he does not recommend panic-driven fund transfers at this stage. He said moving assets to fresh addresses that have never sent a transaction can serve as an added precaution in some cases, though wallet migration itself carries operational risks such as incorrect addresses, backup mistakes, or signing the wrong transaction. The discussion goes beyond current elliptic-curve cryptography. Buterin said even lattice-based cryptography, a major post-quantum research direction, may need renewed scrutiny if AI sharply improves the pace of algorithm discovery. Ethereum is already studying hash-based signature schemes such as leanXMSS and SPHINCS, while the Ethereum Foundation set up a dedicated post-quantum security research team in 2026.

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