This Bitcoin Developer’s Idea Would Make Quantum Attacks a Losing Bet

Bitcoin developer Cory Fields has proposed “quantum landmines” and two auction mechanisms that could make attempts to steal vulnerable Bitcoin costly for attackers. The ideas are thought experiments shared on a developer mailing list, not a finished upgrade, and aim to address a future risk from powerful quantum computers.

Such a computer could use Shor’s algorithm to derive private keys from exposed public keys, but no machine can do this today and the timing of “Q-Day” is unknown. A landmine would require a would-be thief to post matching Bitcoin as collateral, which the owner could claim by revealing a proof prepared in advance; Fields’s example uses a 30-day challenge period. The approach requires owners to prepare beforehand and have collateral for legitimate transfers. His staked auction would let advance bidders challenge a targeted spend, while a “sats auction” would make bidders compete over the coins.