Researchers slash quantum attack computing needs for Bitcoin and Ethereum
Big news for crypto fans: researchers have figured out how to make a quantum attack on Bitcoin and Ethereum much easier, cutting the required computing power by more than half.
They tweaked Shor's algorithm, slashing the resources needed compared with Google's earlier estimate.
But don't panic yet; today's quantum computers aren't powerful enough to pull this off.
Lead author warns upgrades take years
The study involved more than 100 participants and more than 400 accepted submissions.
One later design pushed the score down again to about 1.26 billion, while another got the machine-size requirement down to 813 logical qubits at the cost of far more computation.
Lead author and Theta Labs CTO Jieyi Long summed it up: "None of this is urgent because an attack is imminent. It is urgent because the remedy takes years and cannot be applied retroactively."
Upgrading blockchain security will take years, so early action matters.