Quantum-Resistant Bitcoin Transaction Completes on Mainnet

A researcher at StarkWare has successfully completed the first quantum-resistant transaction on the Bitcoin mainnet. The breakthrough, achieved by Avihu Levy on August 26th, demonstrates that Bitcoin can be protected from potential attacks by future quantum computers without altering its current rules.

The Quantum Safe Bitcoin (QSB) method, developed by StarkWare, uses hash-based security instead of elliptic curve cryptography to protect against quantum computer threats. This process was tested in block 964,199 and involved a 10,000-satoshi output.

While the test shows that Bitcoin can be made quantum-safe without changing its main rules, there are significant drawbacks. The QSB method is expensive, costing around $150 to $200 per transaction, and also has a large transaction size, making it unsuitable for everyday use.