StarkWare’s approach offers a quantum-resistant safeguard for Bitcoin by leveraging hash-based protection that fits within the existing protocol, eliminating the need for a network upgrade. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could otherwise derive a wallet’s private key from its exposed public key, threatening funds. This method serves as an emergency measure to relocate eligible coins ahead of a broader quantum fix, though widespread adoption is currently hindered by a $320 computing cost per transaction—making a lower price point more practical.
The $66 estimate stems from a computational test, but the improved code has yet to be demonstrated on an actual Bitcoin transaction. CoinDesk calculations show that applying the contest site’s speedups to its $320 cost breakdown yields approximately $83, while the site’s later record-setting runs lack transparent data on which results drive the $66 figure.
The approach also faces limitations beyond cost. Transactions must be sent directly to a miner, bypassing the normal network, and it does not protect coins whose public keys are already exposed—the primary target for a quantum attacker.
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