Glassnode research shows 6.04 million BTC with exposed public keys face quantum computing risks, representing 30.2% of circulating supply.
Over 6 million Bitcoin, valued at $469 billion, are vulnerable to future quantum computing attacks due to exposed public keys on the blockchain. This represents 30.2% of the total circulating supply of 19.99 million BTC, according to new analysis.
The vulnerability stems from two sources: structural exposure from script designs that reveal keys by default and operational exposure from address-reuse behavior. Exchanges account for roughly 40% of operationally exposed Bitcoin, though risks vary by platform and can be mitigated through improved wallet practices.
While 6.04 million BTC show public-key exposure, the remaining 13.99 million BTC remain unexposed. The threat hinges on the development of sufficiently powerful quantum computers capable of running Shor’s algorithm to derive private keys from public ones.