{"id":71955,"date":"2026-05-02T17:52:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T17:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/paradigm-researcher-proposes-pacts-to-shield-dormant-bitcoin-from-quantum-computing-risk\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T17:52:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T17:52:23","slug":"paradigm-researcher-proposes-pacts-to-shield-dormant-bitcoin-from-quantum-computing-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/paradigm-researcher-proposes-pacts-to-shield-dormant-bitcoin-from-quantum-computing-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Paradigm Researcher Proposes PACTs to Shield Dormant Bitcoin From Quantum Computing Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News )<\/b><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Paradigm\u2019s Dan Robinson proposed PACTs on May 1, 2026, offering <span>bitcoin<\/span> holders a free, private way to timestamp address control before quantum threats arrive.<\/li>\n<li>Over 1.1 million <span>BTC<\/span> worth roughly $75 billion in Satoshi-linked wallets face exposure if cryptographically relevant quantum computers emerge.<\/li>\n<li>PACTs require no <span>Bitcoin<\/span> fork today but need future STARK verification support and community consensus to activate a rescue path.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2> <span>Bitcoin<\/span> Holders Gain Silent Escape Hatch as Paradigm Targets Quantum Vulnerability<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paradigm.xyz\/2026\/05\/pacts-protecting-your-bitcoin-from-a-quantum-sunset\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The proposal<\/a>, titled Provable Address-Control Timestamps (PACTs), outlines a three-step method using existing <span>Bitcoin<\/span> tools to timestamp cryptographic proof of wallet ownership. No onchain transaction is required. No public signal is broadcast. The holder stores a secret salt, a BIP-322 message signature, and an OpenTimestamps proof file, then waits.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/danrobinson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dan Robinson<\/a>, a general partner and researcher at the <span>crypto<\/span> venture fund Paradigm, framed the proposal as a hedge against a specific dilemma facing <span>Bitcoin<\/span>. If cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs) arrive before the protocol adapts, addresses with exposed public keys become vulnerable to theft. If <span>Bitcoin<\/span> rushes a sunset soft fork to freeze those addresses, dormant holders face a forced, public coin migration.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_811141\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-811141\" style=\"width:1402px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-811141\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image source: X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For wallets believed to belong to <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/nyt-claims-bitcoin-creator-satoshi-nakamoto-is-british-cryptographer-adam-back\/\">Satoshi Nakamoto<\/a>, that migration would reveal whether the pseudonymous creator is alive, active, and still holding keys. Researchers estimate those wallets hold approximately 1.1 million <span>BTC<\/span>, worth more than $75 billion at current prices.<\/p>\n<p>PACTs offer a third path. A holder generates a 256-bit secret salt and uses BIP-322 full message signing to prove control of a vulnerable scriptPubKey. The resulting commitment hash is then timestamped via OpenTimestamps, which batches hashes into a Merkle tree and embeds the root in a <span>Bitcoin<\/span> OP_RETURN output. The process costs nothing and reveals nothing publicly.<\/p>\n<p>Robinson described OpenTimestamps as a free, trustless Bitcoin-based timestamping service. The system was possible, he noted, because Satoshi himself designed <span>Bitcoin<\/span> as a distributed timestamp server in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/bitcoin.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2008 white paper<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If <a href=\"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/en\/price\/bitcoin\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bitcoin<\/a> later implements a sunset soft fork, a PACT holder could submit a STARK zero-knowledge proof showing they knew the salt and control proof before a cutoff date established prior to CRQC capability. The rescue transaction would be bound to prevent replay. The underlying keys and salt would stay hidden.<\/p>\n<p>The proposal builds on draft BIP-361, which addresses quantum-vulnerable legacy addresses, and references <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/asicboost-interview-developer-jeremy-rubin\/\">Jeremy Rubin<\/a>\u2018s earlier forum discussions on similar concepts. Robinson acknowledged the design is illustrative and needs review from cryptographers, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/en\/price\/bitcoin\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bitcoin<\/a> developers, and the broader community.<\/p>\n<p>Risks are real. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/en\/price\/bitcoin\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bitcoin<\/a> may never implement a quantum sunset. Even if it does, this specific rescue path may not be included. Robinson said holders should not rely solely on PACTs until a rescue protocol clears consensus. Still, he argued the cost of creating one is low enough to justify acting once a standard format is agreed upon.<\/p>\n<p>The proposal does not extend cleanly to multisig wallets, complex scripts, or custodial accounts. Those cases require additional standardization work.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/en\/price\/bitcoin\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bitcoin<\/a> developers and quantum researchers on X <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TheBlueMatt\/status\/2050296673642188950?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">responded<\/a> quickly after publication. Discussion focused on STARK integration timelines, the feasibility of a soft fork adding zero-knowledge proof verification, and whether the privacy protections would hold in practice.<\/p>\n<p>Robinson stated that adopting a PACT standard now would give long-term holders maximum time to secure their coins before any emergency fork. The harder decisions, including whether a quantum sunset is warranted at all, can wait.<\/p>\n<p>Robinson credited Eli Ben-Sasson, Jameson Lopp, Neha Narula, <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/nic-carter-maps-developer-views-on-quantum-threats-to-bitcoin-security\/\">Nic Carter<\/a>, and others in the acknowledgments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/paradigm-researcher-proposes-pacts-to-shield-dormant-bitcoin-from-quantum-computing-risk\/\">Source link <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News ) Key Takeaways: Paradigm\u2019s Dan Robinson proposed PACTs on May 1, 2026, offering bitcoin holders a free, private way to timestamp address control before quantum threats arrive. Over 1.1 million BTC worth roughly $75 billion in Satoshi-linked wallets face exposure if cryptographically relevant quantum computers emerge. PACTs require no [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":71956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71955"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}