Not All Bitcoin Wallets Equally Vulnerable to Quantum Risk, Galaxy Says

Galaxy Digital research analyst Will Owens said the quantum risk to Bitcoin investors is real, but not all wallets are vulnerable. In theory, a quantum computer could derive private keys from public keys, allowing an attacker to impersonate the owner, forge a signature and steal coins.

Owens noted most wallets are not vulnerable today because funds are at risk only when public keys are exposed on-chain. That exposure comes in two main forms: wallets whose public keys are already visible, and wallets whose public keys are revealed at the time of spending.

The threat has long been debated, with critics saying quantum computers remain decades away and that traditional targets will be cracked before Bitcoin. Owens also pushed back on claims that Bitcoin Core developers are ignoring quantum proposals such as the soft fork BIP 360, saying the pace of proposals has accelerated meaningfully since late 2025 and that substantial developer work is addressing vulnerabilities and mitigations.

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