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Researcher wins 1 bitcoin bounty for 'largest quantum attack' on underlying tech

CoinDesk
Researcher Giancarlo Lelli won a 1 BTC prize for successfully breaking a 15-bit elliptic curve key using public quantum hardware.

Summary

Independent researcher Giancarlo Lelli has been awarded a 1 bitcoin prize by Project Eleven for performing the largest public quantum attack on elliptic curve cryptography to date. By breaking a 15-bit key using publicly accessible quantum hardware, Lelli demonstrated a 512-fold increase in scale compared to previous experiments. While 15-bit encryption remains far weaker than the 256-bit standard used by Bitcoin, the achievement highlights the accelerating efficiency of quantum techniques capable of threatening blockchain security. Experts note that resource requirements for such attacks are dropping, prompting developers to explore post-quantum migration strategies for major networks.

(Source:CoinDesk)