Ki Young Ju, founder of CryptoQuant, has proposed that a future Bitcoin upgrade designed to address quantum computing risks may require freezing older wallet addresses. He warned that inactive wallets holding billions in BTC could become vulnerable if quantum machines grow powerful enough to break current cryptographic protections.
Ju explained that holders using legacy address formats face a shared risk. If quantum computers are able to derive private keys from exposed public keys, coins that appear secure today could be accessed by attackers. He cautioned that even properly stored private keys may become ineffective if users fail to migrate to upgraded protocols in time.
To reduce the threat, Ju suggested freezing dormant wallets, including the address believed to hold roughly one million BTC associated with Satoshi Nakamoto. He noted that nearly 6.9 million BTC may already be exposed due to revealed public keys, with about 3.4 million coins inactive for more than a decade. The large value involved could create strong incentives for attackers if quantum technology becomes more accessible.
Bitcoin’s security model relies on cryptography that is resistant to classical computing, but quantum systems could eventually change that assumption. Once a public key is revealed on chain, the potential vulnerability remains indefinitely.
Despite the technical possibility of freezing dormant coins, Ju acknowledged that reaching community agreement would be difficult. Past disputes such as the block size debate and the failed SegWit2x proposal show how challenging it can be to implement major protocol changes. Any move to freeze funds would likely face resistance because it conflicts with Bitcoin’s principles of decentralization and user sovereignty.
Ju warned that disagreement over how to respond to quantum threats could result in competing Bitcoin forks. He argued that the central issue is not when the threat will emerge, but whether the community can unite on a solution beforehand.
Meanwhile, David Hoffman, co founder of Bankless, has suggested that Ethereum may be better prepared for such risks and could continue operating even if Bitcoin were severely impacted by a quantum attack.
