BULLISH 📈 : Satoshi’s 22,000 addresses make quantum attacks on Bitcoin harder to execute
Satoshi-era BTC split across ~22k addresses; quantum risk focus shifts to exchanges
Quantum risk to Bitcoin looks dispersed, not centralized. Developers now eye exchanges and active institutions as primary targets, not a single Satoshi stash.
Satoshi-linked coins sit across roughly 22,000 P2PK addresses. Each holds 50 BTC. This reframes the threat, per industry talks summarized by Alex Thorn in Las Vegas here. Context on Satoshi from the New York Times is here.
Thorn says the real high-value targets are large exchanges and active institutions. These entities can rotate to post-quantum addresses if needed source.
Attack type matters. Long-range versus short-range. Neutral atom systems enable long-range attacks, according to those discussions source.
Property rights dominated the Satoshi debate. “Don’t touch those coins” was the rough consensus at the event, Thorn reports thread. Changing the protocol to move or freeze them would break a core rule on the Bitcoin network.
Mitigation exists if a long-range quantum attack looms. The “hourglass” mechanism is one option now on the table Deloitte explainer.
Markets have taken heavy supply before. Thorn cites on-chain data showing more than 1 million BTC absorbed in a short window, implying even a 50% drawdown could be digested if property rights stand source.
Post-quantum work continues quietly. Build, test, compress signatures in the background. Avoid rushing untested changes into the protocol or jamming governance, say participants source.
- Risk is distributed across ~22k Satoshi-era P2PK addresses source
- Exchanges and institutions are priority to harden source
- Community stance: don’t move Satoshi’s coins source
- “Hourglass” could mitigate long-range attacks Deloitte explainer
- Background PQ research proceeds, implementation later source