Bitcoin Developer Wants to Punish Quantum Theft With Landmines
Cory Fields of Bitcoin Core outlines a trap mechanism for wallets that later become vulnerable to quantum computers. The discussion also touches on ESMA warnings and post-quantum security.
Key Takeaways
- Bitcoin Core developer Cory Fields proposed quantum landmines to discourage future quantum thieves.
- In an attack, an amount of Bitcoin equal to the loot would first have to be locked up as collateral, after which the owner could respond within a waiting period.
- The proposal is aimed at wallets whose keys still exist and, according to Fields, is mainly a thought experiment.
A Bitcoin Core developer has proposed a way to make future quantum thieves risk their own money first before they can steal someone else's Bitcoin. Cory Fields, who works on Bitcoin software at MIT's Digital Currency Initiative, described the idea on Wednesday on the bitcoin-dev mailing list. His so-called quantum landmines are meant to give holders a chance to set a trap for anyone who later manages to crack their wallet keys.
How the Trap Works
According to Fields, someone trying to steal 1 BTC would first have to put up another 1 BTC from a quantum-safe wallet. Both amounts would then be locked up for a waiting period, for example 30 days. During that time, the real owner could prove they still control the coins and not only get their own Bitcoin back, but also claim the attacker's collateral.
The core of the proposal is that an attacker cannot see in advance which holdings contain a trap. That should make it expensive for bad actors to casually try to drain vulnerable wallets. Fields framed it as a way to give holders an incentive to prepare now, before quantum computers become a real practical threat.
Why This Matters Now
The discussion comes at a time when the industry has been thinking about quantum risks to Bitcoin for a while. Earlier research suggests that a powerful quantum computer with about 30,000 physical qubits could, in theory, break Bitcoin cryptography in about 62 minutes. ESMA also warned that advanced quantum computers could eventually crack blockchain encryption and put millions of Bitcoin at risk.
For European crypto readers, that matters because this is not just a technical issue, but also a question of who is responsible if old wallets turn out to be vulnerable. Fields' proposal shows that there is still no widely accepted solution for coins that have been sitting untouched for years, while the pressure to arrange post-quantum security is increasing. Europol has also warned that wallets, in particular, are the target of future quantum attacks, not the blockchain itself.
Not Useful for Everyone
Fields also said the landmines only work for holders who still have their keys. Coins that have already been lost are therefore excluded, as is Bitcoin attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto. For that group, he outlined a separate auction model, where hidden bids on vulnerable wallets can serve as cryptographic traps.
That idea does have a clear downside. Anyone who wants to move their own 1 BTC would also have to lock up 1 BTC in collateral under this model. Fields therefore described the plans mainly as thought experiments, and he left open the rules needed to actually enforce them.