Bitcoin developer Cory Fields proposed quantum landmines, hidden proofs that could let wallet owners claim a quantum thief's collateral. Two auction designs would cover apparently abandoned coins. The ideas remain hypothetical and would need new consensus rules.
Bitcoin developer Cory Fields wants to make future quantum thieves risk their own Bitcoin every time they try to steal someone else's. In a post on November 4 to the Bitcoin development mailing list, he outlined quantum landmines and two types of auctions. According to Decrypt, he described them as "thought experiments", not a completed Bitcoin upgrade.
How a quantum landmine works
Bitcoin owners use a secret private key to authorize transactions. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could use Shor's algorithm to derive that key from the public one, potentially letting a thief spend coins as if they owned them. No publicly demonstrated machine can steal Bitcoin this way today.
Under the proposal, an owner of 1 BTC in an old wallet would first create a tiny, separate quantum-safe output. It would hold a hidden proof that they controlled the original key while quantum theft was still impossible. A thief who recovers the old key would have to add 1 BTC of their own from a quantum-safe wallet as collateral.
Both coins would then enter a restricted output worth 2 BTC. The thief must wait through a challenge period, 30 days in Fields's example, before spending it freely. If the owner reveals the proof, the network allows them to move the full 2 BTC to their quantum-safe address.
Auctions target abandoned coins
However, landmines cannot protect coins whose keys are already lost. Fields therefore proposes a second mechanism, a staked auction. Before Q-Day, someone could lock up quantum-safe Bitcoin and secretly register a bid against a specific old wallet.
In Fields's example, a successful challenger claims part of the attacker's collateral, while the original vulnerable coins are destroyed rather than awarded to the bidder. His third idea, a sats auction, requires no advance stake. The highest bidder gets the coins minus their bid, while the runner-up pays their bid and gets nothing.
Trade-offs and open questions
Fields is exploring a different path from freezing outdated wallets after a migration deadline, which could permanently lock out legitimate owners. His approach carries its own costs. Honest owners might need large collateral deposits, and auction rules might burn coins belonging to people who are still alive and offline.
Implementation would require quantum-safe wallets and new consensus rules, plus agreement on activation. Fields believes some mechanics could be introduced through a soft fork, but he has not supplied the detailed design. He has published no implementation or activation schedule.
Source: Decrypt
Trading involves risk.
Risk Disclaimer
