Bitcoin developer proposes ‘landmines’ to make quantum thieves lose their own BTC
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Bitcoin developer Ethan Heilman has proposed a soft-fork mechanism that would force anyone spending from quantum-vulnerable addresses to post matching collateral, which prepared owners could seize if the spender proves dishonest. The scheme, dubbed "landmines," targets early P2PK outputs and other exposed coins that quantum computers could eventually steal by deriving private keys from public ones. Under the proposal, a spender moving vulnerable BTC would have to lock an equal amount, letting the rightful owner sweep both sums if the spender acts maliciously. The idea matters because it gives long-dormant holders a defensive option without requiring them to move coins preemptively, though it would need consensus to activate. What to watch next is whether the proposal gains traction among Core developers and how it might interact with other quantum-resistance efforts such as BIP 360.
Muhabbit's AI wrote this summary in its own words from CoinDesk's report. It can get details wrong, so check the source.
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