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Comment by Nathanba | Hacker News Reader

I guess quantum computing breaking it and them not being fast enough to adapt

the move to quantum resistant algos should start now, as one can record encrypted content now and decode it when the quantum computers become available

For example, Chrome is already enabling post-quantum key exchange

https://security.googleblog.com/2024/09/a-new-path-for-kyber...

Or, much worse, someone finds a classical break of ECDLP (Elliptic Curve Discrete Log Problem), that no one could see coming.

This is a good point. I think this is probably the weakest link in bitcoin's security. If you're paranoid I think you can setup PayToScriptHash to take lamport signature instead. But with everyone else rekt the system would be in crisis.

In any of this event happening, how easy would it be to upgrade the network with a solution?

If the problem is found in time, the network could be forked back to before the problem was exploited?

It's hard to say as it depends a lot on the particular attack, who discovers it, who it is used against etc.

A broad attack on EC DLOG or on the secpk curve would hopefully be preceded by academic community incrementally making it weaker with easier attacks which would give time to fork to something with better margin of safety in advance.

If it was truly a full on zero day and someone disclosed it to core devs or miners it would probably be bumpy getting the network aligned to fork but people would do it. But idk the details of how bitcoin developers and miners coordinate.

In more likely event nation state is the zero day holder I have little idea how they'd use it. Network could always be forked after enough people believed an attack was going on but it would be a confidence shaking disaster. Forking back in time before most people believe the attack started is always possible but has its own serious downsides.

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