StarkWare Tests Quantum-Resistant Bitcoin Transaction

While the test demonstrates that Bitcoin's current consensus rules can accommodate such quantum-resistant spending without a protocol fork, it comes with significant costs and technical hurdles. The completed transaction incurred expenses between $150 and $200 and required hours of computation. Furthermore, QSB transactions are considered nonstandard by default Bitcoin Core relay policies, necessitating direct submission to miners for confirmation.

Google researchers previously estimated that a powerful quantum computer could potentially derive a Bitcoin private key within minutes of its public key becoming visible, posing a risk to pending transactions. Levy's QSB proposal is viewed as a last-resort measure rather than a complete replacement for future protocol-level protections. StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson indicated that QSB serves as a safety net while more comprehensive protocol upgrades are developed, noting that a soft fork for such protections is anticipated.