Bitcoin veteran Willy Woo has proposed a simple interim strategy to safeguard Bitcoin from potential quantum computing threats — by storing BTC in a SegWit wallet for the next seven years.
Quantum computing has long been viewed as a potential turning point for the crypto industry, with experts warning that sufficiently advanced quantum machines could break existing encryption, potentially exposing private keys, sensitive data, and user funds.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Woo suggested an “intermediary measure”: transferring Bitcoin to a SegWit-compatible address and holding it there until a quantum-resistant protocol becomes available.
SegWit (Segregated Witness), a major Bitcoin protocol upgrade aimed at improving efficiency and scalability, was first activated on August 23, 2017.
SegWit could help obscure public keys
Woo explained that quantum computers could potentially derive a private key from its corresponding public key, posing a major risk to certain types of Bitcoin addresses. He noted that Taproot addresses expose the public key within the address itself, making them more susceptible to quantum attacks — whereas SegWit addresses keep the public key hidden until a transaction is made.
“In the past, it was about protecting your private key — your seed phrase,” Woo said. “In the age of big scary quantum computers (BSQC) that are coming, you need to protect your public key as well.”
“Prior formats hide the public key behind a hash, so a BSQC can’t easily crack it.”
However, Woo cautioned that this approach would require Bitcoin holders to avoid moving funds from their SegWit addresses until a quantum-safe solution is implemented.
He added that Bitcoin held by ETFs, corporate treasuries, and in cold storage could already be quantum-resistant, provided custodians take appropriate steps even before a dedicated protocol upgrade is introduced.
Woo also noted that the general consensus suggests quantum computing won’t pose a real threat to Bitcoin until around 2030 or later, and that quantum-resistant standards and upgrades are already being developed.
Critics question SegWit’s effectiveness
Not everyone agrees with Woo’s assessment. Charles Edwards, founder of the quantitative Bitcoin and digital asset fund Capriole, argued that SegWit offers no real protection against quantum attacks.
“SegWit is no protection model,” Edwards said. “We need to upgrade the network ASAP, and posts suggesting we have seven years risk the network collapsing first.”
“Bitcoin can adapt, but we need to see a lot more traction on that now and really consensus next year. Bitcoin is the most vulnerable network in the world.”
Critics say quantum fears are exaggerated
Skeptics argue that the quantum threat to Bitcoin is overstated, noting that practical quantum computers remain decades away and that banks and other traditional financial systems would likely be compromised long before Bitcoin is at risk.
In July, Bitcoin proponent Michael Saylor dismissed worries about quantum computing as little more than a marketing tactic used to promote “quantum-branded” tokens.
Similarly, Bitcoin advocate Adrian Morris wrote in a Feb. 20 post on X that quantum computing is “barely a viable technology,” citing ongoing challenges with thermodynamics, memory, and sustained calculations.
