The threat of quantum computing on Bitcoin wallets has been a topic of discussion for years, with some experts arguing that it is still a distant concern. However, recent research suggests that the danger is real and growing, particularly when public keys are visible or revealed during transactions.
Will Owens, a research analyst at Galaxy Digital, emphasized in a briefing that the vulnerability is not uniform across all wallets today. Most wallets remain safe, but funds are at risk only when public keys are exposed on-chain.
The researchers identified two primary exposure paths for quantum attacks: wallets whose public keys are already visible on the blockchain and those where the public key is revealed during a transaction. This distinction has significant implications for wallet design, upgrades, and security as the crypto ecosystem moves towards post-quantum readiness.