StarkWare Researcher Proposes Quantum-Safe Bitcoin Fix—But It'll Cost You $150 Per Transaction

A Bitcoin researcher has unveiled a potential workaround to protect BTC from quantum computing threats without requiring protocol changes. StarkWare chief product officer Avihu Levy published a proposal Thursday outlining a Quantum Safe Bitcoin (QSB) transaction scheme that would remain secure "even against an adversary with a large-scale quantum computer running Shor's algorithm." The catch? It demands significant computing resources that make it impractical for everyday use.

The Technical Approach: Hash-to-Sig Innovation

Levy's scheme ditches the vulnerability of elliptic curve cryptography by replacing the proof-of-work signature-size puzzle with a hash-to-sig puzzle. Instead of relying on ECDSA (elliptic curve digital signature algorithm) math that quantum computers can theoretically break, the spender must locate an input whose hash output randomly resembles a valid signature. This brute-force requirement means even quantum computers can't shortcut the process—but it demands far more computing power than standard Bitcoin transactions.

The breakthrough here: the solution operates entirely within existing legacy script constraints, requiring zero protocol upgrades. For Bitcoin's crypto analysis community, this represents a meaningful middle ground while the broader ecosystem debates long-term quantum-resistant solutions.

The Real Limitation: Cost Makes It Impractical

Here's where the proposal hits a wall. QSB transactions cost senders between $75 and $150 per transaction in GPU computing power. That economics-crushing expense means the scheme only makes sense for securing large BTC holdings, rendering it useless for ordinary transactions or scalability solutions like Lightning Network.

StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson called it "huge," claiming it essentially makes Bitcoin quantum-safe immediately. However, Bitcoin ESG specialist Daniel Batten pushed back, calling the claim "an overstatement." Batten flagged a critical gap: the proposal doesn't address exposed public keys and dormant wallets—specifically the estimated 1.7 million BTC locked in early P2PK addresses vulnerable to quantum attacks.

The Broader Context: Protocol Changes Still Preferred

The researchers themselves acknowledged this is a last-resort measure. Non-standard transactions, prohibitive costs that don't scale across users, and limited compatibility with second-layer solutions mean protocol-level changes remain the preferred long-term path for Bitcoin's security future.

The quantum threat gained urgency after Google published research in March suggesting quantum computers could crack Bitcoin's cryptography using significantly fewer resources than previously believed. Meanwhile, Lightning Labs chief technology officer Olaoluwa Osuntokun published a quantum "escape hatch" prototype Wednesday, enabling users to prove wallet ownership from seed phrases without exposing them—offering an alternative authorization method.