Lightning Labs Technical Director Olalova Osuntokun demonstrated a prototype of the toolkit to protect Bitcoin addresses from potential attacks using quantum computers.

The vulnerability is caused by encryption algorithms that could theoretically be compromised by powerful quantum systems, which would allow private keys to be calculated from public data on a blockchain. To prevent the threat, a phased plan has been developed: voluntary transition to quantum-stable wallets according to BIP-360, and in extreme cases - emergency disablement of the current signature system.

The problem with emergency blocking is that most modern addresses, including Taproot, will lose the ability to confirm ownership. The Osuntokun solution based on zk-STARK offers an alternative: the owner proves possession of the wallet through a secret seed phrase without its disclosure. The prototype is already functioning: evidence generation on MacBook takes about 55 seconds, verification - less than two seconds with a file size of about 1.7 MB. There is no formal proposal yet for a network implementation.

Bernstein analysts assess the quantum threat as a "controlled cycle of renewal," leaving the industry three to five years to prepare.