Only 10,200 BTC at Risk from Quantum Threats
CoinShares finds just 10,200 BTC are vulnerable to quantum attacks, posing limited risk to the broader Bitcoin market.
- CoinShares identifies limited BTC exposure to quantum risks
- Only select P2PK addresses are potentially vulnerable
- Overall market impact expected to be minimal
Small Quantum Risk for Bitcoin, Says CoinShares
A recent study by CoinShares reveals that only a small portion of Bitcoin — around 10,200 BTC — is vulnerable to potential future quantum computing threats. These at-risk coins are held in early Bitcoin addresses known as P2PK (Pay-to-PubKey), which expose public keys in ways that quantum computers could eventually exploit.
Understanding the Quantum Concern
Quantum computers, though still in early development stages, could theoretically break certain cryptographic protections. In Bitcoin’s case, this could mean accessing private keys from exposed public keys — particularly in legacy address types like P2PK.
However, most modern Bitcoin addresses use Pay-to-PubKey-Hash (P2PKH) or newer formats like P2WPKH, which don’t reveal public keys until the coins are spent. This adds a layer of protection that quantum computers would struggle to bypass without the private key.
Why the Risk is Limited
CoinShares estimates that only 10,200 BTC — less than 0.05% of total supply — is held in vulnerable formats. Many of these coins haven’t moved since Bitcoin’s early days and are likely lost or held by long-term inactive users.
Additionally, for a quantum attack to succeed, the attacker would need to strike immediately after a transaction exposes a public key — a highly unlikely scenario with today’s technology. Given these factors,
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- Only 10,200 BTC at Risk from Quantum Threats
