Bitcoin2026-09-11 09:36:54MBTC Ties Satoshi’s Unmoved BTC to Quantum Risk and Meme ParticipationA Foresight analysis links one of Bitcoin’s oldest mysteries to a new meme-driven project: Meme Bitcoin, or MBTC. The piece revisits concerns around Satoshi Nakamoto’s estimated 1,096,361 BTC, which it says have remained dormant for nearly 17 years, and frames those holdings as a possible long-term security issue if quantum computing ever becomes capable of threatening current cryptography. It explains why early Pay-to-Public-Key outputs matter in that discussion, since exposed public keys would be more vulnerable than later address formats that keep keys hidden until coins move. The article then shows how MBTC builds a community campaign around that premise. Users can join a one-click Crack Mission, take on social tasks on X, create memes, and earn rewards through a model the project calls Proof-of-Viral. Foresight says the community had logged more than 2.4 million attempts to crack wallets linked to Satoshi by the end of August 2026. It also outlines the token’s mechanics, including a 210 billion supply, emissions roughly every 10 minutes, and a halving cycle every four months. The report adds that MBTC announced an $8 million strategic round on Sept. 1 and launched its Proof-of-Viral campaign on Sept. 7.900
Bitcoin2026-09-11 04:37:44Researchers cut one Bitcoin quantum attack resource estimate by 86.1% with AI coding agentsMore than 100 researchers, using AI coding agents, reduced the resource estimate for a quantum attack targeting the elliptic-curve point-addition subroutine in Bitcoin’s secp256k1 system by 86.1%, according to Cryptopolitan. The figure fell from 10.75 billion to 1.496 billion. The reported improvement applies only to a single step inside Shor’s algorithm and did not break any private keys or move funds. A full attack would still require fault-tolerant quantum hardware that does not yet exist. The report said the gains still matter because each improvement narrows the time window available for blockchains to complete a post-quantum migration. Glassnode data cited in the report shows that about 6.04 million BTC, or 30.2% of circulating supply, could face potential quantum risk because their public keys have already been exposed on-chain. It also said Ethereum aims to become fully quantum-resistant by December 2029, while Bitcoin faces harder governance questions, including what should be done with roughly 1.7 million BTC in dormant P2PK addresses believed to be linked to Satoshi.820
Bitcoin2026-09-10 20:34:50AI agents cut a key quantum attack benchmark on Bitcoin and Ethereum by 86%Researchers working with AI coding agents have sharply lowered the resource benchmark for a crucial step in a potential quantum attack against the cryptography used by Bitcoin and Ethereum, according to a paper posted Wednesday. The work came out of ECDSA.Fail, an open competition launched by Eigen Labs in late May, where more than 100 participants built circuits for secp256k1, the elliptic curve behind transaction signatures on both networks. By July 26, the benchmark score had fallen 86%, from 10.75 billion to 1.496 billion. The top design used 1,151 logical qubits and about 1.3 million Toffoli gates. Researchers said the tests verified the circuit’s calculations but did not crack a Bitcoin private key. The paper also frames ECDSA.Fail as a case study in “Open Autoresearch,” where human researchers and AI agents iteratively generate, implement, test, and share improvements against a common measurable target. The report lands as crypto firms put more money into quantum defense research, with Galaxy Digital committing up to $5 million in July and nine firms, including BlackRock, Coinbase, and Strategy, pledging a combined $15 million over three years for broader Bitcoin security work that includes quantum defenses.910
Ethereum Foun2026-09-10 13:41:47Researchers say AI-assisted optimization cuts quantum attack resources for BTC and ETH by more than 50%Researchers from the Ethereum Foundation, Theta Labs and StarkWare have released a paper saying AI coding agents were used to deeply optimize core operations in Shor’s algorithm, cutting the computing resources needed for a potential quantum attack on the secp256k1 cryptography used by Bitcoin and Ethereum by more than 50% versus Google’s March benchmark this year. The paper says the circuit’s logical qubit requirement has been reduced to 1,151, with a later version pushing that figure down to 813. The researchers said current quantum hardware still cannot directly break public blockchains, but argued that algorithmic gains alone are materially shortening the timeline of the quantum threat. They also warned that post-quantum upgrades take a long time and cannot be applied retroactively, calling on the industry to prepare defenses in advance. The report was cited by Coindesk.800
Bitcoin2026-09-10 13:00:00Why Quantum Computing Could Undermine Bitcoin’s Private Key SecurityBitcoin Magazine has published an explainer in its latest "The Quantum Issue" examining what quantum computing is, how it differs from classical computing, and why the topic matters to Bitcoin. The article argues that Bitcoin ownership depends on a core assumption: unless a private key is directly leaked, only the holder of that key can sign transactions spending the coins it controls. A viable quantum computer would challenge that assumption. The piece contrasts classical computers, which process definite bits of 1s and 0s step by step, with quantum computers, which use qubits, superposition and entanglement to alter the probabilities of outcomes rather than checking each possibility one at a time. In the context of Bitcoin, the article says a classical machine would have to brute-force 2^256 possible private keys, an impossible task in practice, while a quantum system using the right algorithm could arrive at the right answer in far fewer runs. The author, Shinobi, says the risk is serious if a workable quantum computer is ever built and functions correctly, because it would break the assumptions behind elliptic curve cryptography. At the same time, the article says the industry is not starting from zero: the problem is understood, the exposure is known, and possible responses to different parts of the challenge are being developed.740
Bitcoin2026-09-10 13:22:16Paper says estimated cost of quantum attacks on BTC and ETH has fallen by more than 50%A new paper from researchers affiliated with Theta Labs, the Ethereum Foundation and StarkWare says the resources needed for a key computational stage in potential quantum attacks on Bitcoin and Ethereum are now estimated at more than 50% below an earlier figure published by Google Quantum AI. The proposed quantum circuit design would require about 1,151 logical qubits and roughly 1.3 million Toffoli gate operations, with a combined score of around 1.5 billion, compared with Google’s earlier estimate of about 3 billion. The work focuses on improving point addition within Shor’s algorithm, which in theory could let a sufficiently powerful quantum computer derive a private key from a public key. Jieyi Long, CTO of Theta Labs and one of the paper’s lead authors, said quantum attacks are not imminent at this stage, but migration to quantum-resistant systems would take years and could not be completed only after an attack begins.760
Bitcoin2026-09-10 13:25:04Paper says quantum resources for potential BTC and ETH attacks are more than 50% below Google’s prior estimateA new paper from researchers affiliated with Theta Labs, the Ethereum Foundation, StarkWare and other institutions says the resources needed for a key computational stage in potential quantum attacks on Bitcoin and Ethereum are now estimated at more than 50% below a figure previously published by Google Quantum AI. According to CoinDesk, the proposed quantum circuit design would require about 1,151 logical qubits and roughly 1.3 million Toffoli gate operations, for a combined score of around 1.5 billion. That compares with Google’s earlier figure of about 3 billion. The paper focuses on improving the point-addition component within Shor’s algorithm, which in theory could allow a sufficiently powerful quantum computer to derive a private key from a public key. Jieyi Long, CTO of Theta Labs and one of the paper’s main authors, said quantum attacks are not an immediate threat, but migration to quantum-resistant systems would take years and could not be left until after an attack occurs.750
Bitcoin2026-09-10 13:00:00Researchers halve estimate for quantum attacks on Bitcoin and EthereumA paper shared with CoinDesk says human researchers and AI agents outperformed Google’s March result on a core calculation used in Shor’s algorithm. The result led crypto researchers to cut their estimate for when quantum attacks could threaten Bitcoin and Ethereum by 50%. It also adds a new variable to the industry’s so-called quantum clock, a rough measure of progress in quantum computing as it relates to cryptographic risk. The report centers on a technical benchmark tied to Shor’s algorithm, which is often discussed in the context of breaking cryptographic systems. CoinDesk cited the paper as the basis for the revised estimate.730
