Quantum computers

[Thefrolly]

Years ago I read about the potential danger of quantum computing for Bitcoin, I'm aware that before bitcoin gets **** up, many other things like banks and governments get fucked up earlier. However, I was wondering if anything changed in the last few years and whether quantum computing has progressed lately. Is it still a threat, will there be a solution? Thanks!

[avikz]

Read the posts below,

Google:
https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/23/20879485/google-quantum-supremacy-qubits-nasa

IBM:
https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/18/ibm-will-soon-launch-a-53-qubit-quantum-computer/

If I have to believe the contents of these articles, then I would have to believe that quantum computer exists already. Did anything happen to bitcoin yet?

I am sure quantum computer with astronomical power will be invented in near future! But it is very highly unlikely that anything would happen to bitcoin.

Take example of nuclear/ hydrogen bombs. Many countries have these bombs in their arsenal. But it is highly unlikely to be actually used against human race! Chill!

[lionheart78]

If OP is so worried about Bitcoin private key being decoded with the advance of technology and implementation of quantum computers, I think you need to watch this video to have at least a peace of mind.

Can the Google Quantum Computer Hack Bitcoin?

I believe the latest QC is 53-qubit design called Sycamore, but see this:




Besides Bitcoin can always fork to become a quantum computer resistant before that threat happen.

[clickerz]

Years ago I read about the potential danger of quantum computing for Bitcoin, I'm aware that before bitcoin gets **** up, many other things like banks and governments get fucked up earlier. However, I was wondering if anything changed in the last few years and whether quantum computing has progressed lately. Is it still a threat, will there be a solution? Thanks!

I think its not a threat,  technology innovate too and cope up what is needed. An important issue here is security, and I hope the bitcoin consensus can upgrade its cryptography/security too. say at Present  its employs SHA-256... can they make it SHA 256xxxxxxx, so that  even quantum computer takes billions years to crack? 

[squatter]

Years ago I read about the potential danger of quantum computing for Bitcoin, I'm aware that before bitcoin gets **** up, many other things like banks and governments get fucked up earlier. However, I was wondering if anything changed in the last few years and whether quantum computing has progressed lately. Is it still a threat, will there be a solution? Thanks!

There have been several threads about this over the past week due to Google's recent claims of "quantum supremacy." Read up:
Google Claims Quantum Supremacy
Quantum supremacy and Satoshi blocks
Google Says That They Have Just Reached Quantum Supremacy - BITCOIN IN DANGER?

The TL;DR version is that this "achievement" is insignificant and Bitcoin's security is not at risk. Quantum computing may never be a real threat. If it is, we probably have a good decade or so to figure out what to do.

Besides Bitcoin can always fork to become a quantum computer resistant before that threat happen.

That's the easy part. The difficult part is dealing with the millions of bitcoins that will reenter circulation from bitcoins sitting in vulnerable addresses.

[mindrust]

FUD.

You don't think the devs of a $150b asset would let it go to "0" do you? If anything like that starts to possess a threat to Bitcoin, there will be either a HF, or a quick fix but it will be fixed.

[lionheart78]

Besides Bitcoin can always fork to become a quantum computer resistant before that threat happen.

That's the easy part. The difficult part is dealing with the millions of bitcoins that will reenter circulation from bitcoins sitting in vulnerable addresses.

We had experience fork before, so I think both developers and holders have experience in this kind of situation so no matter how hard or risky it is, I believe it will be done successfully.  Aside from that, several users  had  a first hand experience on updating/swapping their cryptocurrency holdings since this thing often happen in altcoins.  They might be different cryptocurrency or value involved, but I think the drill is almost the same.

FUD.

You don't think the devs of a $150b asset would let it go to "0" do you? If anything like that starts to possess a threat to Bitcoin, there will be either a HF, or a quick fix but it will be fixed.

That is why I think people are just over reacting about this issue but I do understand them.  There is nothing we can do but trust our Bitcoin developers to maintain the Bitcoin security intact and QC proof/resistant.

[UsernameBitcoin]

Quantum computers, some people think that they would be a risk to bitcoin... However, there is something called quantum resistant address is. There is already technology in the works to prevent quantum computers from being able to affect Bitcoin. Cryptocurrency is here to stay whether the haters like it or not.

[squatter]

FUD.

You don't think the devs of a $150b asset would let it go to "0" do you? If anything like that starts to possess a threat to Bitcoin, there will be either a HF, or a quick fix but it will be fixed.

The difficulty is knowing when it will become a threat. Waiting until ECDSA is already broken is "likely a death blow to Bitcoin" as Pieter Wuille opines here because of rampant key reuse on the network. If it's done as an emergency fork when the threat has already arrived, it may already be too late.

We should maximize the amount of time users have to upgrade to quantum-resistant outputs -- several years, ideally. The most optimistic estimates say ECDSA could be broken in 8 years. That means we only have a few years to implement a fork. There's been very little discussion on the mailing lists about this to date.

[darkangel11]

FUD.

You don't think the devs of a $150b asset would let it go to "0" do you? If anything like that starts to possess a threat to Bitcoin, there will be either a HF, or a quick fix but it will be fixed.

Of course! Bitcoin is a code that can be updated. All you need is consensus among miners and you can fork BTC and shape it to whatever you desire.
Quantum technology progresses so slow that they are going to have years to think of something. Also, quantum computers will have difficulty adapting to the currently used software. They don't see simple calculations like our home PCs and need to be able to have the data prepared for them to be able to process it.
Modern PCs have problems with opening old DOS applications from the 90s. It's the same with quantum computers and our standard software just the gap is much bigger.

[Artemis3]

Years ago I read about the potential danger of quantum computing for Bitcoin, I'm aware that before bitcoin gets **** up, many other things like banks and governments get fucked up earlier. However, I was wondering if anything changed in the last few years and whether quantum computing has progressed lately. Is it still a threat, will there be a solution? Thanks!

Not much has changed, but yes to both: It is a threat, and a solution has been planned for long, they just take their time (core devs) to implement it...

I expect the first with capacity to attack would be large institutions, such as those funded by governments... Because the early computers are so big, not unlike classic computers of the past, they need a building and are very crude compared to what is expected to come yet.

[clickerz]

Quantum computers, some people think that they would be a risk to bitcoin... However, there is something called quantum resistant address is. There is already technology in the works to prevent quantum computers from being able to affect Bitcoin. Cryptocurrency is here to stay whether the haters like it or not.

True, and blockchain technology, DLT or any systems can even use this quantum technology for their own advantages. Fast transaction,added or high security etc. Bitcoin can really  utilize this technology for a better services. I think theirs nothing to fear, let the technocrats, scientists do their job in finding innovation and solution.

[pooya87]

Years ago I read about the potential danger of quantum computing for Bitcoin,

for thousands of years (yes, even before computers) we have been coming up with newer and stronger cryptographic schemes to make it stronger as efficient ways were found to break the older ones. this is not going to stop here either, it will be a constant battle of strengthening cryptography while technology improves.
so what does it mean for bitcoin? nothing really! like everything else bitcoin has to also upgrade its cryptography at some point to be ahead of the technology.

[boris2470]

Google has a quantum computer and many have a fear that the company could crack Bitcoin. But I don’t know, it seems to me that Google will be afraid to touch an over-popular asset because by harming Bitcoin Google or any user of a quantum computer will suffer from influential Bitcoin holders very fast

[Kizaki]

Cracking bitcoin with even a quantum computer will take you such a long time and you might give up on it.Yes it is a threat for sure but maybe a help too to help bitcoin network get stronger by finding loop holes on the system and fixing it immediately

[Mandoy]

Quantum computers are still on the making and is still not yet finished. As far as I know, the one who is developing quantum computers is the United States of America in the body of the CIA. But as of this moment there are still no new publications that such technology is already perfect and operational. Possibly in the years to come we will be shocked that it is already in use and we just hope that quantum computers will not be used to destroy cryptocurrency.

[Pab]

It is kind of FUD that quantum computers will be able to steal bitcoin private keys
Bitcoin blockchain is very strong and secure.Maybe quantum computers will be able to hurt other than bitcoin chains but for sure not bitcoin.Even Microsoft is building his identity tool based on Bitcoin Blockchain

[joelsamuya]

Quantum computers, some people think that they would be a risk to bitcoin... However, there is something called quantum resistant address is. There is already technology in the works to prevent quantum computers from being able to affect Bitcoin. Cryptocurrency is here to stay whether the haters like it or not.

There will always be corresponding solution to any threat and in the case of quantum computing and assuming that the technology like this has already been in motion then I am sure that we also have ways to stop the said technology from disrupting the cryptographic innovation of Bitcoin. Whenever there is a demand for anything, there will always be a supply for it. In my view, quantum computing for now has become an overrated thing.

[Wexnident]

Years ago I read about the potential danger of quantum computing for Bitcoin,

for thousands of years (yes, even before computers) we have been coming up with newer and stronger cryptographic schemes to make it stronger as efficient ways were found to break the older ones. this is not going to stop here either, it will be a constant battle of strengthening cryptography while technology improves.
so what does it mean for bitcoin? nothing really! like everything else bitcoin has to also upgrade its cryptography at some point to be ahead of the technology.

Indeed. What you just said implies a "potential" threat. But the existence of quantum computers hasn't even been realized yet. A potential threat is as good as not a threat since contingencies can be basically done to prevent it from being a "threat". Besides, even in the recent news of Google and their quantum computers, the current progress is much smaller than what quantum computers should really be able to. They just state it's possibilities in the future but it hasn't really been realized as of yet.

[target]

They claimed to have it existed already. Someone out there with amount of money they got probably have bought and tried experimenting it with blockchain or perhaps attempt to distrupt BTC or tried mining BTC using this Quantum computers. But since we haven't seen anyone sharing information about his adventure, I guess it isn't design to beat anything than just an upgrade of Windows.