Source: El Salvador Plan B Forum

Breaking existing encryption algorithms is inevitable. For Bitcoin, this means breaking the ECDSA function – the algorithm that secures your private key. This algorithm ensures that you cannot derive the private key from the public key. Someday, quantum computers will easily accomplish this, rendering such encryption methods obsolete (including other algorithms like RSA).

But should you really be worried?

Short answer: No. Here's why...

• Breaking Bitcoin Equals Economic Suicide: If someone breaks ECDSA (let's say a government or a large corporation) and empties wallets belonging to Satoshi Nakamoto or Binance, their only purpose would be to destroy Bitcoin. There is no economic benefit to doing so – the Bitcoin price would collapse. It's like the Joker burning money in "The Dark Knight" – not for the money, but just to send a message.

• Cryptocurrency Isn't Special: Compared to traditional finance, cryptocurrency is still very small in scale. Our market capitalization is around 4.5trillion,whiletheglobalstockmarketcapitalizationexceeds55 trillion. If quantum computers were to attack anything, they would first target banks or critical financial systems, not Bitcoin.

• Algorithms Can Be Upgraded: Discussions are already underway to upgrade Bitcoin's encryption technology – shifting from ECDSA to quantum-resistant algorithms like Falcon or Crystals-Dilithium. But let's be honest, there is no encryption system that is forever secure. If we can build quantum computers, what else can we create? The real challenge is getting miners to agree on implementing these upgrades and making changes when necessary. (The good news is that the Bitcoin community is actively discussing these changes).

• Maintaining Suddenness: If the United States or China possesses quantum computers capable of breaking modern encryption, they would not waste the opportunity for a surprise attack on Bitcoin. Think about the atomic bomb – nobody knew about its existence before it was dropped on Japanese soil. If quantum supremacy is real, they would keep it for something more important than emptying cryptocurrency wallets.

This Is Just the Surface

Quantum computing is not just about breaking encryption – it will change the future of humanity, impacting everything from medicine to agriculture, with possibilities that are hard to imagine.