TL;DR
Get business pricing on monitors, keyboards and dev gear
- Business-only prices and quantity discounts
- Tax-exempt purchasing
- Multiple users, one account, clear invoices
Coinbase is urging Bitcoin developers and the wider community to start evaluating quantum-resistant security before a quantum computer capable of threatening current cryptography is available. The exchange says any migration could take years and must address transaction costs, wallet usability, institutional custody and funds that cannot be moved; it has not proposed a deadline or an agreed network upgrade.
Coinbase is urging early work on how Bitcoin could adopt quantum-resistant security, arguing that changes to network rules and the movement of funds could take years. In a technical-priorities blog post, the exchange called for evaluating signature systems and migration plans now, while stressing that its recommendations are input to an open discussion, not an agreed Bitcoin upgrade or a timetable.
The company said Bitcoin’s response would involve more than choosing a replacement for its current digital signatures. A practical design would need to protect funds whose public keys are exposed, support future changes to signature algorithms, and work within limits on transaction size, fees and verification demands. It would also need to be usable by ordinary wallet holders, exchanges and institutional custodians.
Coinbase pointed to approaches associated with P2MR, or Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360, and P2TRv2 as candidates for evaluation. It recommended a reproducible assessment tailored to Bitcoin, including established and developing standards such as ML-DSA, SLH-DSA and FN-DSA when standardized, as well as other credible options. The post also identified SHRINCS, a compact hash-based candidate, for study. These are proposals or candidates to assess, not a selection by Bitcoin’s developers.
The company said it is preparing its own systems, talking with Bitcoin developers and researchers, and contributing engineering resources and participation through the Bitcoin Security Consortium. Coinbase said it holds about 5% of all bitcoin in existence, giving it substantial exposure to decisions about custody and migration. That figure is the company’s stated estimate; the post does not describe it as a measure of funds already at risk.
Migration Could Take Years
Coinbase’s argument is that waiting for a quantum threat to become immediate could leave little time to coordinate a network-wide response. Bitcoin’s rules are shared across participants, and users, wallet providers, exchanges and custodians would all need to support compatible changes. Even after a technical approach is chosen, moving funds to new protections could be a lengthy process.
The choice also affects everyday use and network operation. A signature system that resists quantum attacks may bring larger transactions, higher fees or greater verification demands. Coinbase says those costs should be measured on Bitcoin itself rather than inferred from comparisons designed for other internet systems, because Bitcoin transactions are retained and checked by network nodes.
There are custody risks as well as network-design questions. Coinbase warns that some compact signature schemes require users or organizations to keep track of signing state; mishandling that record could undermine security. For custodians operating servers across locations, coordinating such state could add operational complexity. These are concerns Coinbase says evaluations should test, not proof that any candidate is unsuitable.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Bitcoin’s Quantum-Security Debate
Bitcoin transactions use digital signatures to show that spending was authorized by someone with the relevant private key. Public keys help the network verify those signatures. Coinbase’s post discusses a future possibility in which a sufficiently capable quantum computer could threaten cryptography used by current signature systems, potentially putting some exposed funds at risk. The report does not say such a machine exists or that Bitcoin is currently being broken in this way.
The issue is not limited to newly created funds. Coinbase says a migration plan would need to account for existing bitcoin, including coins whose owners cannot or will not move them. The exchange’s leaders argue that discussion of those coins should proceed alongside technical work rather than hold it up. That separates two questions: how to add quantum-resistant protections, and what policy the community should adopt for inaccessible or abandoned funds.
Coinbase framed its post as a contribution to an ongoing, open discussion. It said it is engaging with developers and researchers, but did not claim that Bitcoin stakeholders have agreed on a design or a process. Its recommendations include evaluating multiple signature approaches and making it possible to add or replace algorithms over time.
“Some questions, including how to handle abandoned or inaccessible coins, are difficult and deserve thoughtful debate. In our view, that discussion can continue alongside the technical work to add post-quantum signature support to Bitcoin.”
— Coinbase leaders, in the company’s blog post
post-quantum cryptography hardware security module
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
No Upgrade Plan or Deadline
Bitcoin has no agreed migration plan in the material provided, and Coinbase announced no deadline for adopting post-quantum protections. The company has not selected a signature system; its named options remain candidates for assessment. The report also gives no date for when a quantum computer capable of threatening Bitcoin’s current cryptography might be available.
Policy for abandoned or inaccessible coins remains unresolved. Coinbase’s post calls for that debate to continue alongside engineering work but does not specify what should happen to those funds. It is also not yet clear which wallet, exchange and custody changes would be required, how quickly users could migrate, or which performance tradeoffs the Bitcoin community would accept.
Coinbase raised concerns about stateful signature systems, which require careful tracking of signing steps, including risks from failed updates or old backups. The post does not establish how those risks compare across all candidate systems or what operational safeguards would be sufficient. Those questions depend on further testing and community discussion.
Bitcoin signature scheme upgrade tools
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Testing and Community Deliberation
The next work described by Coinbase is a reproducible, Bitcoin-specific evaluation of candidate signature systems. That assessment would compare security assumptions, signature and transaction size, fees, verification work, wallet adoption and the time needed to move vulnerable funds. Coinbase also says it will continue preparing its own systems and engaging with developers and researchers.
Any network change would still require further technical development and agreement among Bitcoin participants; the company’s post does not set out a formal decision process or schedule. The outstanding milestones are therefore the evaluation of candidates, discussion of migration design and policy for inaccessible coins, and any eventual proposal for a network upgrade.
cryptography hardware security device
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What is Coinbase asking Bitcoin developers to do?
Coinbase is asking for early evaluation of quantum-resistant signature systems and the practical steps needed to migrate Bitcoin. It wants testing to account for security, fees, transaction size, wallet usability, verification work and custody operations.
Does Bitcoin currently face a confirmed quantum attack?
The source describes a possible future threat from a quantum computer capable of challenging current cryptography. It does not report that such a machine exists or that Bitcoin is currently under this kind of attack.
Has Coinbase chosen a replacement signature system?
No. Coinbase named several standards and candidates for evaluation, including ML-DSA, SLH-DSA, FN-DSA when standardized, and SHRINCS. The post presents them as options to study, not a final choice.
What happens to abandoned or inaccessible bitcoin?
That remains unresolved. Coinbase says the community should debate how to handle those coins while technical work on post-quantum protections continues; it does not endorse a specific policy in the reported material.
When would Bitcoin migrate to quantum-resistant security?
No date or deadline has been announced. Coinbase describes the work as a complex, potentially multiyear undertaking, but its post is not an agreed migration schedule.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
