Why does Glassnode say 10% of Bitcoin is vulnerable to quantum computing?

Glassnode said around 1.92 million Bitcoin are structurally exposed because certain wallet formats reveal public keys onchain. If future quantum computers become powerful enough, those exposed public keys could theoretically be attacked.

What is a quantum computing threat to Bitcoin?

Quantum computers could eventually break the elliptic curve cryptography securing Bitcoin wallets. If that happens, attackers may be able to derive private keys from exposed public keys and steal funds.

Which Bitcoin holdings are considered most vulnerable?

Glassnode identified early Satoshi-era Pay-to-Public-Key outputs, legacy multisignature wallets and Taproot outputs as structurally exposed. Wallets believed to belong to Satoshi Nakamoto reportedly account for about 1.1 million vulnerable Bitcoin.

Is Bitcoin currently at immediate risk from quantum computers?

No, experts generally agree current quantum computers are not yet powerful enough to break Bitcoin cryptography. According to research cited by Ark Invest, such an attack would require thousands of logical qubits and extremely large computational capacity.

What percentage of Bitcoin is considered safe from quantum threats?

Glassnode estimated roughly 69.8% of Bitcoin’s supply remains safe because the public keys tied to those coins have never been exposed onchain. Hidden public keys provide stronger protection under Bitcoin’s current design.

What does “operationally unsafe” Bitcoin mean?

Operationally unsafe Bitcoin refers to holdings exposed through poor wallet management practices such as key reuse or address reuse. Glassnode estimated around 4.12 million Bitcoin fall into this category.

Why are Taproot addresses mentioned in the report?

Taproot improves Bitcoin privacy and scalability but still exposes public key-equivalent data in certain transaction paths. Glassnode said this creates potential long-term quantum vulnerability if future cryptographic breakthroughs occur.

What is BIP-360 and why is it important?

BIP-360 is a proposed Bitcoin upgrade introducing a Pay-to-Merkle-Root structure designed to reduce quantum exposure. The proposal aims to remove Taproot’s vulnerable key-path spending method, though it does not itself add quantum-proof signatures.

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Glassnode warns 10% of Bitcoin vulnerable to quantum risk

Written by Brie CarterPublished May 21, 2026, 2:24 AM

Glassnode said nearly 10% of the total Bitcoin supply is structurally exposed to potential future quantum computing attacks because certain address types reveal public keys by design.

The analytics firm estimated that roughly 1.92 million Bitcoin fall into this category, including early Pay-to-Public-Key outputs from the Satoshi era, legacy multisignature wallet structures and newer Taproot outputs.

According to Glassnode, wallets believed to belong to Satoshi Nakamoto account for approximately 1.1 million Bitcoin or 5.5% of the vulnerable supply, while another 620,000 Bitcoin from the early Bitcoin era and roughly 200,000 Bitcoin held in Taproot addresses also remain exposed.

The report renewed discussion around quantum-resistant Bitcoin upgrades, particularly BIP-360’s proposed Pay-to-Merkle-Root framework, which seeks to reduce exposure by removing Taproot’s quantum-vulnerable key path spend.

Glassnode estimated that about 69.8% of Bitcoin’s total supply remains safe from quantum computing threats because the public keys tied to those coins have not been exposed onchain.

The company also identified roughly 4.12 million Bitcoin as “operationally unsafe” due to address management and key reuse practices, with some large custodians and institutions showing higher levels of exposure than others.

Glassnode warned that exchanges, custodians and wallet providers may eventually need to migrate holdings toward quantum-resistant standards if advances in quantum computing become capable of breaking Bitcoin’s elliptic curve cryptography.

At the time of reporting, Bitcoin price was $77,784.50.