Bitcoin Improvement Proposal Introduces Quantum-Resistant Address Migration Protocol
A new Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) titled Quantum-Resistant Address Migration Protocol (QRAMP), introduced by developer Agustin Cruz, aims to migrate BTC from legacy wallets to those secured by post-quantum cryptography. Key points include:
- The proposal seeks to enforce a network-wide migration after a specific block height.
- Nodes running the updated software would reject transactions from addresses using ECDSA cryptography, which is vulnerable to potential quantum attacks.
- A hard fork would be necessary for implementation, creating incompatibility with older versions of Bitcoin.
- The proposal serves as a preventive measure amid advancements in quantum computing, particularly following Microsoft’s introduction of the Majorana 1 quantum processor.
- Users can move funds during a migration window; non-compliance could lead to forking from the network.
- Previous attempts to secure Bitcoin against quantum threats have also called for hard forks and infrastructure changes.
BTQ, a startup targeting blockchain resilience against quantum attacks, has proposed an alternative method involving quantum technology that would similarly require significant changes to existing systems.