The Quantum Computing Threat to Bitcoin Is Real -- and Coming Fast
A quarter of the total Bitcoin supply could be at risk.
Crypto investors are accustomed to volatility risk. You have to be when prices of coins regularly swing by 10% or more in mere days. Unfortunately, volatility is just one of several potential pitfalls of crypto investing. And sometimes, the short-term noise can make it easy to overlook the bigger, longer-term risks.
Quantum computing is one such long-term threat. Without delving too deeply into how these two complex technologies work, the issue is that if quantum computers become powerful enough, they will pose a significant threat to Bitcoin's (CRYPTO: BTC) security. If you're a buy-and-hold investor with an interest in crypto, this is an issue you need to have on your radar.
The crypto community thought they had decades before quantum computing became a pressing problem. However, a recent article on Decrypt, a news website focused on the decentralized web, says that experts are now worried that the industry has a decade, or maybe only a handful of years, to prepare. Moreover, around 4 million Bitcoins could be at risk right now.
