Quantum-Resistant Bitcoin Transactions Proposed Without Network Changes
- A new proposal by StarkWare researcher Avihu Mordechai Levy suggests a method to make Bitcoin transactions quantum-resistant without altering the network protocol.
- The design replaces elliptic-curve signatures with hash-based puzzles and Lamport signatures, which are resistant to quantum attacks.
- This approach requires solving a cryptographic puzzle before broadcasting a transaction, estimated to need about 70 trillion attempts.
- Users perform the computational work off-chain using commodity hardware like GPUs, costing several hundred dollars per transaction.
- The scheme is a temporary workaround and not scalable for Bitcoin’s target throughput or user needs due to high costs and complexity.
The proposal aims to protect Bitcoin transactions from potential future quantum computer threats without requiring network upgrades or soft forks. However, it is seen as a last-resort measure due to its high computational costs and complexity compared to standard Bitcoin usage.
