A new method has been proposed for safeguarding Bitcoin wallets against quantum attacks., 2026/04/09 18:45:57

The Chief Technology Officer of Lightning Labs, Olaoluwa Osuntokun, has announced the development of a prototype tool aimed at safeguarding Bitcoin wallets from potential hacking attempts by quantum computers.

The CTO explained that the Bitcoin network employs encryption algorithms that are theoretically vulnerable to quantum computing, and in the event of such an attack, malicious actors could exploit the public blockchain data to reconstruct private keys and gain access to bitcoins. Currently, a phased transition to new standards is being proposed as the primary protective measure—specifically, the BIP-360 initiative aims to introduce quantum-resistant wallets, allowing Bitcoin holders to preemptively transfer their assets.

However, Osuntokun expressed concern that the migration process will inevitably take time: some BTC holders may not be able to update in time, and some funds will likely remain on old addresses with lost access. For this reason, the developer mentioned that a variation of an “emergency halt” is being considered, where the signature system could be disabled in the network to prevent widespread theft.

He noted that such a measure carries significant risks: most modern addresses are tied to the current signature model. If it were to be disabled, legitimate owners would temporarily lose the ability to verify their ownership of their funds.

As an alternative solution, Osuntokun introduced a mechanism that, according to him, helps mitigate negative impacts for users who have not transitioned to the new standards. The system is based on zk-STARK technology (a protocol that does not require information disclosure to third parties) and replaces the traditional digital signature: the owner confirms the creation of the wallet using a secret seed phrase without revealing it.

The executive from Lightning Labs believes that this approach enhances security: compromising one address does not pose risks to others using the same seed phrase. The CTO assured that the prototype has already been tested. On a MacBook, he stated that generating proof of asset ownership takes about 55 seconds, while verification takes less than two seconds. The proof file size is approximately 1.7 MB.

Osuntokun acknowledged that the solution is experimental: it was developed as a side project and has not yet been formalized as an official proposal for integration into the Bitcoin network.

Previously, Google analysts indicated that significantly less computational power might be required for a successful quantum attack on the Bitcoin network and the theft of assets than previously assumed.