Overview
- Galaxy’s research frames quantum threats as a long‑term vulnerability rather than an immediate crisis, cautioning against investor overreaction.
- Funds are principally at risk when public keys are exposed on‑chain or during spending, while most coins behind hashed addresses are not currently vulnerable.
- Project Eleven’s estimate puts roughly 7 million BTC in a long‑exposure category with already revealed public keys, though totals vary by methodology.
- Developers are advancing proposals such as Pay‑to‑Merkle‑Root (BIP‑360) and hash‑based signatures like SPHINCS+, accepting trade‑offs like larger transaction sizes.
- Contingency ideas under discussion include hourglass restrictions, commit‑and‑reveal flows, and zero‑knowledge proofs, with coordination challenges acknowledged but developer engagement described as active and accelerating.