Post-quantum protection is once again in the spotlight after a statement from Anthropic: the Claude Mythos Preview model discovered a new type of attack on the HAWK digital signature algorithm, which is being considered among possible tools for future post-quantum cryptography.
According to the company, the research took about 60 hours, and the computing cost was around $100,000. The new method reduces the complexity of key selection for the least protected version of HAWK from about 2⁶⁴ to 2³⁸ operations.
More secure key options remain resilient for now. But this choice has a weakness: the algorithm almost loses its efficiency advantage. In other words, it may be safer, but no longer as convenient, which was the main reason it was considered.
Why This Is Not a Direct Threat to Bitcoin and Ethereum
This finding does not directly affect Bitcoin and Ethereum. These networks use a different type of signature—elliptic cryptography—and the experiment was not aimed at it. Their public key cryptosystem is structured differently: an electronic signature confirms the owner’s right to manage coins, and the public address does not reveal the private key (cryptography considers it the user’s main secret).
But the signal is still important for the market: AI development accelerates the search not only for new protective solutions but also for attacks. For computer security, this means that promising encryption schemes and any new cipher will need to be checked faster and more rigorously.
The longer a system needs to store secrets, the sooner it must prepare to transition to post-quantum algorithms: data intercepted today may be attempted to be decrypted on more powerful computers tomorrow.
What Is Post-Quantum Protection in Simple Terms
Post-quantum protection is the transition to cryptographic methods that should withstand attacks not only from conventional but also future quantum computers. It is important for data that needs to be stored for years: financial transactions, government systems, cloud services, IoT devices, and secure communications.
Cryptographic protection in general is needed to hide data from outsiders, prevent unnoticed changes, and confirm who exactly signed a message or transaction. These are the three basic tasks: confidentiality, integrity, and authentication.
What Are the Types of Post-Quantum Algorithms
A post-quantum algorithm is an encryption or digital signature scheme designed to resist quantum attacks. Such approaches include algorithms based on lattices, codes, polynomials, hash functions, and isogenies. HAWK is one of these candidates, although it is not currently used in Bitcoin.
Quantum encryption is a separate idea: it uses the properties of quantum particles to protect the channel, not just the complexity of a mathematical problem. In classical cryptography, security is usually based on the fact that finding the key is practically impossible; in the quantum approach, any attempt to intercept the key unnoticed should leave a trace.
Where Does Quantum Risk Come From
The main danger discussed in the crypto industry is associated with future quantum machines. If a sufficiently powerful quantum computer becomes a reality, it could theoretically compute private keys from known public ones. This creates a risk for many systems where the cryptosystem relies on the complexity of reverse calculations.
Such scenarios are based on quantum mechanics, and in cryptography, Shor’s algorithm is often mentioned: it is dangerous for schemes where security depends on factorization or discrete logarithms. RSA, DSA, ECDSA, DH, and ElGamal rely on such problems, so if sufficiently powerful quantum computers appear, electronic commerce, banking operations, secure communications, and services where a signature or key exchange confirms trust could be at risk.
Bitcoin uses public keys for transfers. A similar logic is present in other cryptocurrencies, as well as to some extent in banking applications. Therefore, post-quantum cryptography and the PQC direction have become not just an abstract scientific topic but a practical issue for infrastructure.
How to Prepare for Quantum Threats
Preparation starts with inventory: it is necessary to understand where signatures, key exchanges, and long-term storage of sensitive data are used. Then, it is important to monitor NIST and ISO standards, test post-quantum schemes in pilot systems, and build in cryptographic flexibility so that algorithms can be replaced without a complete infrastructure overhaul.
In practice, this means updating libraries, checking compatibility, planning key and address migration, as well as combined schemes for the transition period, where classical protection works together with post-quantum.
What Is Being Discussed for Bitcoin
Existing signatures may become insufficient when powerful quantum computers appear. Therefore, scientists are developing new schemes in advance, designed for quantum attacks. HAWK is one of these backup options, but it is not currently used anywhere, and there are no plans to implement it in Bitcoin.
- BIP-360 is a plan to transition to quantum-resistant addresses. It provides for several algorithms to choose from: if one option is broken, the network can switch to another.
- BIP-361 is the idea to freeze more than a third of all Bitcoin that are stored on old and most vulnerable addresses. The authors believe that time is running out, since even classical, non-quantum attacks are accelerating 20-fold due to AI development.
Although the quantum threat remains theoretical for now, it is already changing the market. The industry is implementing protection mechanisms and post-quantum solutions in crypto projects, and key players are allocating tens of millions of dollars to this. Some blockchain networks have already moved from discussions to practical implementation of new algorithms.
Against this backdrop, attention to standards and key protection is only growing:
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- NIST is developing post-quantum cryptography standards and setting benchmarks for the industry.
- IBM and other technology companies are investing in quantum technologies.
- Key protection is becoming part of cybersecurity at the state level, including in the context of cyber warfare.
