Google already knows how to break Bitcoin, but it doesn’t want to say it yet

“Quantum computers will represent a significant threat for current cryptographic standards.” These are the words of Google in a recent publication in which they seek to draw attention to some quantum frontiers They are closer than they seem. Because, if a few days ago They put a date on the post-quantum eranow they say they know how to break cryptography Bitcoin with the quantum computing.

And it’s so crazy that they can intercept transactions before the blockchain I verified them.

The PQC era. Google is very active with the topic of the quantum era. They have a team -Quantum AI- focused on researching this technology and how to protect themselves from it, and a few days ago they shared with the world an ambitious objective: all their systems will be prepared for the age of post-quantum cryptography by 2029.

This does not mean that in three years there will be quantum computers galore: it is a self-imposed deadline to migrate all its security systems to post-quantum cryptography systems or PQC, for its acronym in English. It is a superior security layer designed to resist quantum computer attacks and ensure that data such as keys and digital signatures remain encrypted for the long term. Because a current computer would take centuries to break those encryptions, but a quantum one would do it in a heartbeat.

less than 10 minutes. But Google has not left it just a declaration of intent. In a study Prepared together with Stanford University, the Department of Computer Science at the University of Berkeley and the Ethereum Foundation, Google details that a quantum computer could derive the private key of a Bitcoin wallet in just nine minutes.

They point out that breaking the security of these wallets would require 500,000 physical qubits, which is 20 times less than previous estimates of ten million. And it’s no longer that they breach security, but rather that the speed is so high that, in an estimated 41% of cases, they can intercept and redirect a transaction before the rest of the chain confirms it.

Responsibility. In the statement, Google points out that it is its responsibility to lead this field to convey the urgency of accelerating this transition of large digital companies to the PQC era. The sooner this migration of security systems is achieved, the sooner the security of digital signatures will be guaranteed. But of course, if someone enters the studio hoping to find clues, Google has tied the dots together.

They have not published the actual circuits and movements, but rather a simulation that allows the crypto community to verify the estimate without providing a manual for potential attackers. Additionally, they detail a long-term vulnerability whereby 6.9 million bitcoins stored in wallets whose keys have been leaked in security flaws are the most vulnerable to quantum attacks even outside the transaction window.

Preparation with head. It’s clear that Google is spreading this to raise awareness, but the industry is also carrying years moving. Microsoft wants start with their migration by 2029, the European Commission is rushing to achieve it by 2030 and the US federal agencies they want do it in the 2030-2035 window. And the Bitcoin industry also has something to say.

Justin Drake is a Bitcoin security researcher who qualified Google’s progress was “interesting” and commented that, although “there is at least a 10% chance that by 2032 a quantum computer will recover a secp256k1 ECDSA private key from an exposed public key, now is the time to start preparing.”

We also seek to put our minds to the matter and not create baseless fear. Shiv Shankar is the CEO of Boundless and has commented that “there is no reason for panic” because “the smartest and brightest minds in the world are focusing on this problem”

In Xataka | Superconducting quantum computers are being sabotaged. Fortunately, several Chinese scientists have found those responsible.