The debate over the risks of quantum computing intensifies: why a potential threat to Bitcoin does not mean a danger to the entire industry
Discussion has intensified in the crypto community around the idea that the fate of the entire industry directly depends on Bitcoin (BTC). Some Bitcoin maximalists argue that if Bitcoin were to encounter a fatal problem, the entire crypto market would become unviable. However, outside analysts call this perspective primitive and compare it to a worldview that considered the Earth to be the center of the universe. They emphasize that other blockchains are not dependent on Bitcoin at the protocol level and function autonomously.
Researcher Scott Aaronson stated that the development of a fully-fledged quantum computer capable of executing Shor's algorithm could become a reality before the next US presidential election. Such technology is theoretically capable of cracking ECDSA signatures, posing a threat to early Bitcoin addresses. It is precisely because of this vulnerability that some analysts suggest that current BTC price fluctuations may reflect the market's reaction to quantum risks.
It is emphasized that this vulnerability is primarily a Bitcoin problem, as Ethereum and other networks have already taken similar threats into account. In Ethereum's architecture, public keys are hidden behind hashes until they are spent, significantly reducing the potential attack surface.
With the transition to Proof-of-Stake, this principle has been further strengthened, and the roadmap includes a transition to quantum-proof signature schemes in future updates. The community views the quantum threat as a predictable challenge for which technical solutions are already in place.
The argument that Bitcoin's possible “death” would destroy trust in digital money is also criticized by analysts. They note that even if Bitcoin's hypothetical failure were to cause temporary market discomfort, demand for alternative financial systems would not disappear. Ethereum, they argue, could demonstrate resilience by maintaining DeFi, stablecoins, and the ETH burn mechanism.
Source: cryptonews.net
