Bitcoin Developers Seek to Freeze Quantum-Vulnerable Addresses

A proposal to freeze Bitcoin held in quantum-vulnerable addresses has been put forward by a group of developers, led by Cypherpunk Jameson Lopp. The plan, called Post Quantum Migration and Legacy Signature Sunset (BIP-361), aims to protect the network from potential attacks that could arise from advances in quantum computing.

The proposal targets approximately 1.7 million BTC locked in early pay-to-public-key addresses that are not protected against quantum computing attacks. If these address types were compromised, it could lead to a significant loss of trust and value in the network.

Under BIP-361, three years after activation, no new Bitcoin can be sent to old-style addresses, forcing users to migrate to quantum-resistant address types by that point. The second phase would invalidate old-style signatures entirely, effectively freezing any Bitcoin still held in vulnerable addresses five years after activation.

Lopp described the freeze mechanism as a private incentive to upgrade, stating that coins lost or frozen make the remaining supply slightly more valuable, while coins recovered through a quantum attack would reduce the value held by all other participants.

However, not everyone is supportive of the proposal. Some members of the Bitcoin community have criticized it, calling it authoritarian and a departure from the network's core principles.