Bitcoin quantum security may hit sooner: Back urges optional upgrades; BitMEX canary vs BIP-361 freeze

New Google and Caltech research suggests Bitcoin quantum security risk could arrive earlier than previously estimated, even though today’s quantum computers are still in labs. Blockstream CEO Adam Back said the threat should not trigger rushed emergency changes. Instead, he backs optional Bitcoin upgrades that let users gradually migrate to quantum-resistant cryptography, citing Liquid Network experiments with hash-based signatures and the flexibility of Taproot to support new signature methods. The urgency is the timeline. If quantum computers eventually break Bitcoin’s cryptography, an attacker could potentially access vulnerable wallets in minutes. Earlier estimates of 20–40 years are now questioned by the new findings. Community debate remains unresolved. BitMEX Research proposes a “canary fund” model: funds sent to a provably unspendable address (no private key held) would act as evidence that the crypto is cracked only if attackers can later move them. Separately, BIP-361 (proposed by Jameson Lopp) aims to freeze dormant balances on a fixed schedule to eliminate risk, but critics warn it could block access to legitimate assets. For traders, this is a long-horizon security narrative, yet it can still shift sentiment around Bitcoin infrastructure and upgrade expectations—especially if markets start pricing faster timelines for “quantum readiness.”