Quantum

Satoshi

Satoshi Nakamoto

<h2 id="paradigm-s-pacts-a-private-path-to-quantum-protection">Paradigm's PACTs: A Private Path to Quantum Protection</h2>
Crypto research and investment firm Paradigm has put forward a proposal it believes could shield dormant <a href="https://x.com/search?q=%24BTC&amp;src=cashtag_click" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$BTC</a> wallets — including those linked to Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto — from the growing threat posed by quantum computers.
<cite>Dan Robinson, a general partner at Paradigm, published the proposal for a system built around the concept of Provable Address-Control Timestamps, or PACTs.</cite><cite>The core idea is not to move coins, but to timestamp proof of ownership at a specific date and reveal nothing publicly until the wallet owner actually needs to spend.</cite>
<cite>Over 1.1 million <a href="https://x.com/search?q=%24BTC&amp;src=cashtag_click" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$BTC</a> worth roughly $75 billion in Satoshi-linked wallets face exposure if cryptographically relevant quantum computers emerge.</cite> The challenge for early holders is acute: under existing proposals, proving ownership would require moving funds publicly — a step that would immediately signal activity from wallets that have been dormant for over a decade.
<cite>The proposal, titled Provable Address-Control Timestamps (PACTs), outlines a three-step method using existing Bitcoin tools to timestamp cryptographic proof of wallet ownership.</cite><cite>A holder generates a random salt — a piece of secret data used to make a cryptographic commitment unique — and uses BIP-322 to produce a proof of ownership. The salt and proof are then bundled into a commitment and timestamped through OpenTimestamps, a free service that anchors data onto the Bitcoin blockchain via a single batched transaction.</cite><cite>No onchain transaction is required. No public signal is broadcast.</cite>
<h2 id="a-counterpoint-to-bip-361-s-hard-deadline">A Counterpoint to BIP-361's Hard Deadline</h2>
<cite>If Bitcoin later activates a soft fork that freezes quantum-vulnerable coins, the protocol could include a rescue path that accepts a STARK proof — a type of zero-knowledge proof that remains secure against quantum computers — showing the holder created their commitment before quantum hardware existed. The holder submits that proof when they want to spend, and the network releases the coins.</cite><cite>The redemption reveals nothing about which address, which amount, or even when the original timestamp was created.</cite>
The proposal is a direct response to BIP-361. <cite>Renowned cypherpunk and Casa CTO Jameson Lopp, along with five researchers, submitted BIP-361 — titled "Post Quantum Migration and Legacy Signature Sunset" — to the Bitcoin GitHub repository on April 14.</cite><cite>Under BIP-361's second phase, five years after activation, legacy signatures would be invalidated entirely, effectively freezing any Bitcoin still held in vulnerable addresses.</cite> The proposal has drawn significant backlash, with critics labelling it "authoritarian" and arguing it undermines property rights.
<cite>PACTs also address a specific gap in BIP-361 by including a rescue path for wallets derived through BIP-32, the deterministic key generation standard introduced in 2012. Pre-2012 wallets, including most of Satoshi's known addresses, do not use BIP-32 and cannot be rescued through that path.</cite>
<cite>PACTs require no Bitcoin fork today but need future STARK verification support and community consensus to activate a rescue path.</cite><cite>Robinson acknowledged the design is illustrative and needs review from cryptographers, Bitcoin developers, and the broader community.</cite> Crucially, <cite>the protocol only protects Satoshi if whoever currently controls those keys makes the commitment. If Satoshi is genuinely gone, no PACT can be retroactively created.</cite>
For now, PACTs offer a way to act early without forcing any immediate decision on the network — a low-cost option for holders who want to preserve their ability to claim funds, whatever the future of Bitcoin's quantum debate turns out to be.
Sources: <a href="https://www.paradigm.xyz/2026/05/pacts-protecting-your-bitcoin-from-a-quantum-sunset" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Paradigm — PACTs: Protecting Your Bitcoin From a Quantum Sunset</a> <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2026/05/02/new-bitcoin-quantum-proposal-offers-satoshi-nakamoto-a-way-to-prove-control-without-moving-btc" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CoinDesk — New Bitcoin Quantum Proposal Offers Satoshi Nakamoto a Way to Prove Control Without Moving BTC</a> <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-devs-and-researchers-propose-freezing-quantum-vulnerable-coins-bip-361" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Cointelegraph — Bitcoin BIP-361 Targets Quantum Security Threat</a>
Related News: <a href="https://bsc.news/post/bitcoin-recent-updates" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">BSCN — Bitcoin Recent Updates: Institutional Access, Payment Growth, and Renewed Market Activity</a>

Satoshi Nakamoto Bitcoin Could Be Cracked By Quantum Computers And Paradigm Has A Fix

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