Bitcoin's $1.3 trillion security race: Key initiatives aimed at quantum-proofing the world's largest blockchain - CoinDesk

Tech Share Bitcoin's $1.3 trillion security race: Key initiatives aimed at quantum-proofing the world's largest blockchain Developers are considering ways to quantum-proof the world's oldest cryptocurrency as the threat of this computing moves beyond a hypothetical. By Omkar Godbole, AI Boost|Edited by Aoyon Ashraf, Nikhilesh De Updated Apr 5, 2026, 8:41 a.m. Published Apr 4, 2026, 11:31 p.m. Make preferred on Key developer initiatives to make Bitcoin quantum resistant. (Chris Ried/Unsplash) What to know: Google researchers say a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could break Bitcoin's core cryptography in under nine minutes, raising concerns that such a threat could emerge as soon as 2029. Developers are exploring multiple defenses, including removing on-chain public keys (BIP 360), adopting hash-based post-quantum signatures like SPHINCS+, and using a commit/reveal scheme to shield mempool transactions. Additional proposals such as Hourglass V2 would slow the spending of about 1.7 million already-exposed bitcoins, including Satoshi Nakamoto's, though any changes face debate and slow adoption in Bitcoin's decentralized governance system. Bitcoin News AI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy. More For You North Korea’s crypto heist playbook is expanding and DeFi keeps getting hit By Margaux Nijkerk|Edited by Nikhilesh De 6 hours ago More than $500 million was siphoned across the Drift and Kelp exploits in just over two weeks. What once looked like isolated breaches now resembles a sustained campaign, likely driven by the financial needs of a sanctioned state. What to know: The Kelp exploit shows North Korea’s Lazarus Group is evolving beyond isolated hacks, rapidly shifting tactics from social engineering to exploiting structural weaknesses in crypto infrastructure, suggesting a sustained, state-driven campaign rather than one-off incidents. The attack did not break cryptography but exploited known design choices and weak configurations, exposing... Read Full Story Latest Crypto News North Korea’s crypto heist playbook is expanding and DeFi keeps getting hit 6 hours ago Aave could face up to $230 million in losses after Kelp DAO bridge exploit triggers DeFi chaos 7 hours ago Bitcoin bounces above $76,000 as DeFi suffers $14 billion exodus after KelpDAO hack 7 hours ago Five times President Trump made a statement that moved bitcoin, and why it might happen again this week 12 hours ago Bitcoin faces near-term pressure as liquidity tightens, Hilbert Group CIO says 12 hours ago UK gas-investment firm weighs bitcoin mining, draws criticism 12 hours ago Top Stories Coinbase, Bybit said to be working together on tokenization, custody and distribution of U.S. stocks 14 hours ago Kelp DAO claims LayerZero’s 'default' settings are what actually caused the massive $290 million disaster 13 hours ago Strategy buys 34,164 bitcoin for $2.54 billion, third-largest purchase on record 16 hours ago Here's how bitcoin's $7.9 billion April options expiry impact prices 18 hours ago LayerZero blames Kelp's setup for $290 million exploit, attributes it to North Korea's Lazarus 23 hours ago 'DeFi is dead': crypto community scrambles after this year's biggest hack exposes contagion risk Apr 19, 2026 Oops, there is an error! Try again?