StarkWare Cracks Bitcoin's Quantum Puzzle

A quantum-safe transaction has been successfully executed on the Bitcoin mainnet for the first time. The breakthrough is based on research by StarkWare's Avihu Levy, which reworked Bitcoin's Script rules to create a puzzle that Shor's algorithm, a quantum method used to break elliptic curve cryptography, cannot solve.

The innovation, dubbed Quantum-Safe Bitcoin (QSB), involves hiding a second hash-based lock inside the spending script. This allows for authorization without relying on private keys, instead using RIPEMD-160 hashing to create an ECDSA signature that only occurs about 1 in 2^46 random keys will.

The project builds upon prior work by Robin Linus and Ethan Heilman, who developed methods to smuggle Lamport signatures into Bitcoin Script. QSB replaces Binohash's proof-of-work with a purely hash pre-image resistant one, sealing the gap Shor's algorithm would exploit.

The transaction was carried out through MARA's Slipstream service, specifically designed for non-standard transactions like this one. The process required $75-$150 in GPU time to brute-force the correct parameters.