What is quantum technology?
Quantum technology can process a huge amount of data and solve complex problems in seconds rather than decades.
Remarkably, quantum technology appeared for the first time in the early 1900s. It comes from quantum mechanics, a branch of physics which examines how matter and energy behave on extremely small scales, such as atoms and subatomic particles.
In the real world, it is applied in modern technologies such as transistors, lasers, MRI machines and quantum computers. These would be 300,000 times faster and more powerful than those used today. Google’s new quantum chip, Willow, considerably reduces calculation times and can provide hackers with the tools to unlock algorithms that support Bitcoin and other cryptos.
Quantum computers could threaten Bitcoin cryptographic systems, including the digital signature algorithm of the Elliptical Courbe (ECDSA). Experts such as Adam Back and Michael Saylor maintain that quantum threats to Bitcoin are not a concern currently because such applications require advanced quantum equipment, which can take years, even decades, to develop.
The research and development of quantum computers work at a rapid rate, but Bitcoin Quantum-Safe at this stage? Not yet, but the developers work to upgrade the network to mitigate the possible quantum risks, including the termination of encryption.
If it is important to recognize risks, it is also essential to clarify that they are far from being real threats for the moment.
Did you know? Albert Einstein made a significant contribution to the development of quantum technology. He placed the terrain for quantum mechanics with his work on the photoelectric effect, which revealed what light is made. He won the Nobel Prize for this, not for the theory of relativity, as many believe.
How quantum technology could break the Bitcoin wallets
Quantum IT could have a significant impact on Bitcoin. It is mainly because he could undermine cryptography that protects his network.
Quantum IT and Bitcoin (BTC) have been a hot topic for some time, and rightly so. It can disrupt the network and potentially break the Bitcoin portfolios by exploiting vulnerabilities in the asymmetrical cryptography which secures them. More specifically, ECDSA, asymmetrical cryptography used in Bitcoin, is vulnerable to attacks by quantum computers.
Bitcoin wallets are secured by ECDSA to generate a pair of private keys. Its safety is based on the problem of discreet elliptical curve difficult to solve (ECDLP), which is impossible to solve with conventional computers.
Bitcoin Private Key Cracking with quantum computers is the real problem because private keys control your bitcoin. If you lose them, you lose your money. When a pair of private keys is generated, the public key is defined for verification and the private key is for the signature.
In 1994, the mathematician Peter Shor created the quantum shor algorithm, which can break the perceived security of algorithms in asymmetrical cryptography. All existing algorithms would require a huge amount of time, money and resources to derive a private key from the public key. However, Shor algorithm will speed up the process.
This means that when one person, an organization or anyone with a solid quantum computer can use the Shor algorithm, they can generate a private key from an audience and false digital signatures for transactions.
Bitcoin and quantum security risk
You have now learned that quantum technology could compromise Bitcoin portfolios by revealing their private keys. This risk becomes more significant as quantum computers advance, in particular for portfolios linked to older addresses or those with reused public keys. Quantum IT could allow retro-engineers private keys to these public keys exposed, threatening the security of Bitcoin holders.
In 2025, quantum computers were supposed to be decades from the rupture of ECDSA. Even Michael Saylor believes that concerns are unjustified. Bitcoin users can sit and relax for the moment, but they must be aware of best practices to manage all quantum threats to Bitcoin.
Here is a concise ventilation of the relationship between quantum computer science and bitcoin:
Did you know? Quantum IT advances can be assessed by the number of qubits (basic information units) in a processor. Today, the most powerful quantum computers promise between 100 and 1,000 qubits. Estimates the number of qubits necessary to break Bitcoin security from 13 million to 300 million or more.
Can quantum computers recover lost bitcoin?
Analysts believe that between 2.3 million and 3.7 million Bitcoin are permanently lost. This represents approximately 11% to 18% of the total fixed offer of 21 million.
What happens to Bitcoin lost when quantum recovery technologies allow dormant wallets to return to life? Think of the pieces of Satoshi Nakamoto, which are estimated at 1 million. If a quantum computer cracks their portfolio and releases coins in circulation, this could cause large market oscillations.
Quantum computers could bring back this lost bitcoin by breaking the cryptographic keys that protect these wallets. These are generally portfolios with private keys lost or difficult to reach, making it easy targets.
It is probably the oldest versions of Bitcoin addresses, using Pay-to-Public-Key (P2PK) formats, which have never been improved or reused. Consequently, these addresses remain vulnerable, without a living person or available to update them. The advancement of quantum computer science could potentially exploit these vulnerabilities, unlocking dormant wallets.
In May 2025, Global Asset Manager and the supplier of Blackrock technologies added a warning to his Ishares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) file, declaring that quantum IT has a significant risk for Bitcoin long -term security because of its ability to break the current cryptographic defenses.
Ethical and economic implications
The recovery of lost bitcoin can raise economic and ethical implications. The reintroduction of these coins in circulation could disrupt the bitcoin rarity attribute, and therefore its market value could be affected.
There are already conferences on the best ways to preserve the economic and ethical value of Bitcoin. Many, like the expert of OG Bitcoin Jameson Lopp, think that these parts should be burned and destroyed to protect the network; Others believe that they should be redistributed for wealth.
What can you do to protect your Bitcoin?
The minimization of exposure to the public key is essential if you want to protect your bitcoin. Simple measurements can help users find greater peace of mind.
Measures to protect your bitcoin must always be taken into account, whatever the quantum threats. Fraud is a lasting threat to crypto. Phishing is always one of the most common scams in the crypto, with the new zero-value scam revealed, where a bogus address is added to the transaction history of a targeted wallet.
When the owner starts a transaction, he can simply choose an address from his history and choose the fraudulent that, without even needing to access a private key.
About 25% of all Bitcoins are stored in addresses that use the Pablique (P2PK) or reused Payment-Medical (P2PKH). These methods often reveal the public key linked to the address of a user. This is where cryptographic vulnerabilities with quantum computer science are clearer because the public keys exposed are more prone to quantum attacks through Shor algorithm.
You can do so by simply avoiding the reuse of the address. Join a platform that helps your wallet automatically modify addresses with each transaction. The reuse of an address can expose your public key during a transaction.
The best you can do is generate new addresses for each transaction and use portfolios that support the Tapot root and segwit. Do not forget to pay special attention when you send transactions to the addresses of your wallet. These portfolios provide addresses with better security.
Another type of common phishing technique that costs users of millions of dollars. This happens when bad players send small transactions from portfolio addresses similar to those legitimate victims, deceiving them by making them copy the bad address during the execution of future transactions.
Bitcoin quantum resistance: current research and security measures
Bitcoin remains resilient against quantum threats for the moment, with continuous research on portfolios and protocols resistant to quantities like Qramp to protect its future, while experts explore the way quantum technology could improve the network.
Bitcoin is decentralized and open-source. Its network adapts well and the research in progress on Bitcoin portfolios resistant to quantum suggest that the parts are not threatened without immediate threat.
Users must follow best practices, such as not reuse addresses, to stay safe until cryptocurrencies and quantum tests are fully ready and available for use.
Among the initial measures to protect Bitcoin against quantum threats, Bitcoin Agustin Cruz’s developer proposed a quantum resistant asset cartography protocol (QRAMP) at the beginning of 2025. It is intended to protect Bitcoin against quantum risks while allowing Bitcoin to work in crossing, by extending to other blocks without compromising the custody.
In addition, experts develop powerful cryptographic techniques resistant to quantum, which could benefit Bitcoin in several ways. It can improve scalability, create insufficient portfolios and strengthen cryptography. These changes will help the Bitcoin network to stay strong and prosper in a new quantum world.
