How to Secure Your BTC Now
Prominent Bitcoin (BTC) investor and analyst Willy Woo has released a guide to help holders safeguard their assets against potential quantum computing attacks, advocating for the use of SegWit wallets.
This comes as rapid advances in quantum computing intensify concerns over Bitcoin’s long-term security. Experts warn that future machines could eventually crack the cryptographic foundations protecting users’ funds.
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How to Protect Your Bitcoin from Quantum Computers
Quantum computing is often described as a future existential risk to Bitcoin’s cryptographic backbone. Woo explained that, in the past, users only needed to safeguard their private keys (or seed phrases).
However, with the rise of powerful quantum computers, it will become equally important to secure their public keys as well.
“Basically a BSQC can figure out your private key from a public key. The present day taproot addresses (the latest format) are NOT safe, these are addresses starting with “bc1p” and they embed the public key into the address, not good,” Woo stated.
To address these risks, Willy Woo published a step-by-step “dummies guide” to help Bitcoin holders reduce their exposure. As an interim solution, he recommends transferring Bitcoin to newly created SegWit addresses starting with “bc1q” or legacy formats beginning with “1” or “3.”
SegWit, short for Segregated Witness, is a Bitcoin protocol upgrade introduced in 2017. It improves scalability and efficiency by separating digital signatures (witness data) from transaction data.
This change enables more transactions per block, reduces fees, and resolves transaction malleability issues. It also supports advanced solutions, such as the Lightning Network.
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Woo advises against spending from these addresses until quantum-resistant upgrades are in place. He suggested that this process may take around seven years to complete.
“Send your BTC into the new quantum safe address when the network is NOT congested, once you send, you reveal the private key for a short time. It’s unlikely a BSQC will steal your coins in that short window,” he added.
However, Woo’s recommendations drew criticism from fellow analyst Charles Edwards, founder of Capriole Investments. In a direct response on X, Edwards argued that SegWit offers no true quantum protection and dismissed the guide as insufficient, stating,
“Segwit is no protection model. We need to upgrade the network ASAP, and these kind of posts suggesting we have 7 years would mean the network collapses 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.”
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Woo acknowledged the urgency of addressing quantum-related risks but remained confident in Bitcoin’s long-term strength. He emphasized that while quantum security should be a high priority, Bitcoin’s progress depends on ecosystem-wide consensus.
The analyst added that proactive measures and open discussions are crucial to drive action. He also expressed faith that Bitcoin will ultimately prevail and is far from being “doomed.”
“BTC remains the best monetary asset if you take a long time horizon beyond the next 10 years. Quantum will not break BTC because BTC will adapt,” Woo noted.
Moreover, he emphasized that Bitcoin held in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), corporate treasuries, and exchange cold storage could remain safe from quantum threats, provided that custodians take the necessary precautions. According to him,
“Wallet Apps can also take appropriate action (making sure any spend from an address also moves remaining coins to a new non-taproot address). Satoshi’s 1 million coins using an ancient P2PK address will be stolen (unless a future softfork freezes them). So are lost coins in addresses where there’s past spending activity.”
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Lastly, Woo added that the general view among experts is that quantum computing is unlikely to pose a real risk to Bitcoin until sometime after 2030. However, the timelines vary.
The Quantum Doomsday Clock forecasts that Bitcoin encryption could fall by March 8, 2028. Meanwhile, other experts, such as David Carvalho, CEO of Naoris Protocol, suggest that quantum computers may compromise Bitcoin’s security within 2 to 3 years.
Whether it arrives by 2028 or 2030, it’s clear that quantum computers are on the horizon, and Bitcoin users need to take steps now to prepare.
