Bitcoin’s quantum problem gets a recovery tool, but not for Satoshi’s 1.1 million coins
Project Eleven says it has funded a proof that lets a wallet’s own key-derivation path stand in as ownership after quantum computers can forge its signatures. It runs in 243 milliseconds on a laptop.
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Summary
- A new zero-knowledge proof system from Project Eleven offers a practical way to recover bitcoin locked under BIP-361’s proposed freeze of quantum-vulnerable coins, including Satoshi Nakamoto’s holdings.
- The scheme exploits the fact that quantum computers can break elliptic curve signatures but not the one-way hashing used in modern wallet key derivation, allowing only true owners with seed material to prove control.
- Benchmarks show Project Eleven’s prototype is dramatically faster than prior work, but it remains unaudited, incomplete, and would require contentious changes to blockchain rules before it could protect any live coins.
