Blockchain and Web3 Insights

Around one quarter of all Bitcoin, nearly four million coins, sit in addresses where public keys are already visible. That detail leaves them exposed once quantum computers reach the scale to reverse those keys. This piece explains how that exposure emerged, when it could matter, and what current research is doing to keep Bitcoin secure.

Every public blockchain wallet today depends on math too complex for classical computers to reverse. That reliable gap between public and private keys has made modern wallets secure for years. But that math dates to a time before quantum processors existed. Quantum machines don’t operate the same way. They tackle mathematical problems using quantum rules rather than brute force. In principle, algorithms like Shor’s can break the cryptography that protects Bitcoin, Ethereum, a

Quantum computing has taken the limelight lately with the launch of Google’s “Willow” chip. Boasting 105 qubits, this development has...