What does 'cracking' bitcoin in 9 minutes by quantum computers actually mean
Google's research suggests a quantum computer could potentially compromise Bitcoin private keys in about nine minutes after a public key is exposed, posing a risk to existing Bitcoin holdings.Summary
Google's recent quantum computing paper has raised concerns about the potential vulnerability of Bitcoin to quantum attacks. The research indicates that a future quantum computer could derive a Bitcoin private key from a public key in approximately nine minutes. This is particularly alarming because, on average, Bitcoin transactions take about ten minutes to confirm, giving an attacker a significant chance to redirect funds. The primary risk isn't just new transactions, but the 6.9 million Bitcoin already exposed through public keys in the blockchain, especially those from early addresses or reused addresses. Bitcoin's Taproot upgrade inadvertently increased the number of vulnerable wallets. While the Bitcoin network itself wouldn't be affected, the security of ownership would be compromised. The solution lies in post-quantum cryptography, which Bitcoin has yet to implement, unlike Ethereum.
(Source：CoinDesk)