Bitcoin successfully executed its first experimental quantum-safe transaction using existing protocol rules, without requiring a network upgrade.
Tech & Launches ·
StarkWare says it has mined the first quantum-safe Bitcoin transaction on mainnet, using hash-based security and existing protocol rules without modifying consensus rules. The method, called Quantum-Safe Bitcoin, protects individual transactions from theoretical future quantum attacks by adding a second cryptographic lock based on hash functions rather than elliptic curves. StarkWare's CEO stated that while a soft fork remains the preferred long-term solution, this transaction demonstrates that Bitcoin holders can move coins into quantum-resistant storage before a network upgrade occurs. The company cautioned that the method does not make Bitcoin fully quantum-safe and cannot protect addresses with already-exposed public keys.