shoralgorithm

Independent researcher Giancarlo Lelli was awarded 1 BTC after cracking a 15‑bit elliptic curve cryptographic (ECC) key using a quantum computer, marking the largest public quantum attack on ECC to date. The demonstration, recognized by Project Eleven’s “Q‑Day Prize,” represents a leap from the 6‑bit test in 2025, demonstrating Shor’s algorithm can derive private keys from public ones.

While Bitcoin’s 256‑bit ECC remains secure for now, the attack highlights that each successful quantum experiment makes future breaches easier as hardware grows more powerful. Millions of BTC in legacy wallets with exposed public keys are highly vulnerable once quantum systems scale.

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