--- title: "Is Freezing Satoshi's Coins The Answer To Quantum Threats? It's Complicated, Expert Says" description: "CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju warns that advancements in quantum computing could threaten Bitcoin's security, potentially allowing for the theft of large amounts of BTC. He suggests freezing vulnera" type: "news" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/276237183.md" published_at: "2026-02-18T13:55:03.000Z" --- # Is Freezing Satoshi's Coins The Answer To Quantum Threats? It's Complicated, Expert Says > CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju warns that advancements in quantum computing could threaten Bitcoin's security, potentially allowing for the theft of large amounts of BTC. He suggests freezing vulnerable coins, including those attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto, as a precaution. Approximately 6.89 million BTC may be at risk, and if quantum attacks become feasible, Bitcoin may need to adopt quantum-resistant cryptography. However, achieving consensus on such changes could be challenging, risking division within the community. CryptoQuant founder **Ki Young Ju** says a future quantum computing breakthrough could force **Bitcoin** (CRYPTO: BTC) into a difficult choice: upgrade aggressively — or risk large amounts of BTC being stolen. ## **Quantum Attack Or Coin Freezing?** Ki Young Ju argues that freezing vulnerable coins, including roughly 1 million BTC attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto, may ultimately be the safest path if quantum threats become real. Bitcoin's current security relies on classical cryptography (ECDSA), which is effectively unbreakable with today's computing power. However, sufficiently advanced quantum computers could theoretically derive private keys from exposed public keys. Once a public key has been revealed on-chain (such as after a transaction is made), that vulnerability would remain permanent under quantum-capable systems. Estimates suggest approximately 6.89 million BTC could be quantum-vulnerable, including around 3.4 million coins dormant for over a decade. ## **The Bigger Risk: Economic Incentives** If quantum attacks ever become cheap and practical, Bitcoin's long-standing assumption, that attacks are economically unviable, would collapse. Dormant coins worth hundreds of billions of dollars would become irresistible targets. This could force the network to adopt quantum-resistant cryptography. However, such an upgrade might require freezing legacy address formats by design, meaning coins that fail to migrate to new quantum-secure addresses could become permanently un-spendable. ## **The Real Challenge: Social Consensus** The greater hurdle may not be technical, but social. Bitcoin's history, including the block size wars and the failed SegWit2x proposal, demonstrates how difficult it is to achieve network-wide consensus on major protocol changes. Freezing dormant coins, particularly those believed to belong to Satoshi, would challenge Bitcoin's core principles of immutability and property rights. Such a move could spark intense division or even lead to a chain split. *Image: Shutterstock* ### Related Stocks - [GBTC.US - Grayscale Bitcoin Trust BTC - ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GBTC.US.md) - [BITF.US - Bitfarms Canada](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BITF.US.md) - [RIOT.US - Riot Platforms](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/RIOT.US.md) - [BTC.US - Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BTC.US.md) - [WULF.US - Terawulf](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WULF.US.md) - [CORZ.US - Core Scientific, Inc.](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CORZ.US.md) - [ABTC.US - American Bitcoin](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ABTC.US.md) - [BTBT.US - Bit Digital](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BTBT.US.md) - [HIVE.US - HIVE Digital Tech](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/HIVE.US.md) - [CAN.US - Canaan](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CAN.US.md) ## Related News & Research | Title | Description | URL | |-------|-------------|-----| | 这一次币圈寒冬，底层基建没有崩 | 尽管比特币遭遇抛售，但底层基础设施没有崩塌：交易所运转正常、托管机构偿付能力良好，机构买家坚守阵地，比特币 ETF 资产被稳健持有，自由交易供应量减少。伯恩斯坦分析师认为，当前只是 “信心危机”。 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/277047307.md) | | 期权热点｜上周五 CORZ 大跌 5%，部分看跌期权大涨 55% | 美东时间 02 月 27 日，CORZ 期权总成交 191394 张，看涨期权占比 67%，看跌期权占比 32%。 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/277402531.md) | | American Bitcoin｜8-K：2025 财年营收 1.85 亿美元 | | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/277031757.md) | | iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF｜10-K：2025 财年营收 0 美元 | | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/277239123.md) | | 期权热点｜上周五 WULF 大跌 9%，部分看跌期权飙升 800% | 美东时间 02 月 27 日，WULF 期权总成交 212278 张，看涨期权占比 53%，看跌期权占比 46%。 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/277402192.md) | --- > **Disclaimer**: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.