Galaxy: Quantum Breakthrough Could Threaten Bitcoin
Analysis
Price Impact
MedThe report highlights a long-term risk to bitcoin's security from quantum computing, which could theoretically lead to fund theft. however, it also emphasizes that this is not an imminent threat and that defense strategies are under development. the immediate impact on price is likely to be muted as the community is aware of the potential issue and solutions are being worked on.
Trustworthiness
HighPrice Direction
NeutralThe news presents a balanced view: a potential future threat coupled with active development of countermeasures. this duality prevents a clear bullish or bearish short-term price reaction. the focus is on future security, not immediate market manipulation.
Time Effect
LongThe threat of a 'cryptographically relevant quantum computer' is a long-term concern. the solutions being developed are also part of ongoing protocol upgrades, making this a factor that will influence bitcoin's evolution over an extended period, not a short-term catalyst.
Original Article:
Article Content:
Cover image via U.Today Some industry participants have criticized Bitcoin Core developers for moving too slowly when it comes to quantum tech, but a new research report from Galaxy shows that promising defense strategies are already in active development. Advertisement The risk is not imminent, but is nonetheless existential. A sufficiently powerful "cryptographically relevant quantum computer" (CRQC) using Shor’s algorithm could theoretically derive a user's private key from their public key. This would make it possible for a bad actor to forge signatures and steal funds. However, the Galaxy report emphasizes that the network's structure provides a natural defense for most users. HOT Stories Galaxy: Quantum Breakthrough Could Threaten Bitcoin Ripple CTO Emeritus Engages XRP Holders With Euro Stablecoin Teaser; Shiba Inu (SHIB) Becomes Top Bull Pick for Top Binance Traders; Bitcoin May Lose 30% of Value vs. Gold, Projects Cowen: Morning Crypto Report Moreover, developers are currently working on the tools that are necessary for securing the rest. Advertisement Who is at risk? Bitcoin's public keys are typically hidden behind hashed addresses until the exact moment a user spends their coins. According to estimates from security group Project Eleven, approximately 7 million BTC (roughly $470 billion) at recent prices, remains in those wallets where the public key is already exposed on-chain. These coins mainly belong to early adopters and address reusers. You Might Also Like Thu, 03/19/2026 - 14:27 Bitcoin as 'Ultimate Hedge?' Saylor Doubles Down While BTC Hits $69,200 Amid Gold and Silver's Collapse By Gamza Khanzadaev Advertisement Possible solutions The Galaxy report has outlined a suite of technical solutions currently moving through the Bitcoin development pipeline. These include BIP 360 (Pay-to-Merkle-Root), a soft fork proposal that introduces P2MR outputs, the hourglass proposal, which would rate-limit the spending of legacy P2PK outputs (e.g., to 1 BTC per block) to prevent a quantum-driven supply shock that could crash the market, hash-based signatures (SPHINCS+), a hash-based post-quantum signature scheme recently standardized by NIST, and the reveal emergency backstop, which would force users to publish a compact, hash-based commitment before broadcasting their actual spend. #Bitcoin News