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Bitcoin developers have renewed the discussion about the long-term security of the network amid the development of quantum computing ("Q-Day"). The trigger was an interview StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson gave to journalist Pete Rizzo.

According to Ben-Sasson, without the implementation of a "quantum fix," Bitcoin will lose its leadership, and its market value will collapse due to the physical limitations of current computing systems.

Criticism of these forecasts came from Adam Back, the creator of Hashcash, co-founder of Blockstream and one of the cryptographers mentioned by Satoshi Nakamoto in the Bitcoin whitepaper. On the social network X, Back described the panic expectations with the phrase: "c'mon guys, don't be silly and alarmist."

According to Back, the risks are exaggerated, since algorithms for protection against quantum threats are already at the protocol planning stage. He pointed out that Ben-Sasson's own company, StarkWare, builds its products on STARK technology: zero-knowledge proofs that run on cryptographic hash functions.

In the Bitcoin technical community, hash functions are considered the main security factor. According to theoretical models, quantum computers running Shor's algorithm are capable of breaking the network's current asymmetric cryptography (ECDSA and Schnorr).

However, this method is ineffective against hash functions (including SHA-256). Grover's algorithm gives quantum systems only a quadratic speedup in brute-force search, which, according to Back, is fully neutralized by Bitcoin's standard security settings.

Back's plan: how Bitcoin will survive quantum supercomputers

As an alternative scenario, Satoshi Nakamoto's associate cited data on the community's current technical developments, which by late 2026 have moved into the testing phase:

  • SHRINCS protocol: A modified hash-based signature (Shrunken SPHINCS). According to Blockstream developers, they optimized it for Bitcoin's bandwidth limits.

  • Implementation status: An official draft Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) has been published for review. According to the project's roadmap, the technology is undergoing stress tests on the Liquid sidechain.

Critics of post-quantum cryptography often name data volume as the main problem. Quantum-resistant signatures are bulkier than standard 64-byte Schnorr keys, which, according to a number of researchers, could overload the blockchain and raise fees.

Back argues that the infrastructure is capable of scaling through data aggregation. According to his position, batch verification methods and STARK hash proofs make it possible to compress thousands of signatures into one compact package. According to supporters of this approach, the solution will preserve the network's speed and protect its decentralization.

The current discussion demonstrates the existence of two polar views: part of the industry considers the quantum threat an urgent problem, while Bitcoin core developers speak of planned testing of the protective infrastructure, which is proceeding in parallel with the development of quantum capabilities.