[Digital Today reporter Jinju Hong] Warnings that quantum computing could threaten cryptocurrency security systems have resurfaced. Some experts say even undisclosed attack techniques can be reproduced, questioning how quickly the market is responding.

BeInCrypto reported on Tuesday that Ben Goertzel, chief executive of the ASI Alliance, said "quantum attack circuits that Google has not disclosed can already be reproduced" and said a non-disclosure strategy is unlikely to be a practical defense. "If we can do it, nation-state actors such as China would already be able to," he said.

The debate stems from a recent white paper released by Google Quantum AI. Google analyzed that Shor's algorithm-based circuits to break 256-bit elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) could be implemented with fewer than 500,000 physical qubits. Citing the risk of misuse, it did not release the actual circuit code and instead proved feasibility using a zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) approach.

Goertzel criticized the move, saying that in a world where reverse engineering and independent discovery are common, hiding the technology only buys a little time. He assessed as serious an "on-spend" attack scenario targeting bitcoin. The scenario aims for the moment a public key is exposed during a transaction and breaks the encryption in about 9 minutes. Given bitcoin's average block time is about 10 minutes, calculations put the probability of a successful attack at about 41 percent. Goertzel called this "not an alert level but a structural vulnerability" and said "a success probability above single digits is serious for a store-of-value chain. At 41 percent, it is far above the threshold."

Another issue is the scale of assets whose public keys are already exposed. Analysis showed about 6,900,000 bitcoin are potentially vulnerable, including about 1,700,000 tied up in early P2PK-structure wallets. Address reuse and some upgraded structures were also cited as factors that increase exposure.

It is also noted that quantum hardware capable of carrying out an actual attack does not exist at present. Even so, the industry is increasingly focused on when preparation should begin. Google has presented a kind of deadline that the broader industry should shift to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) by 2029.

The issue is the pace of response. Goertzel said bitcoin still lacks a coordinated, systematic quantum-response roadmap to meet this deadline, adding that the transition should be viewed not as a technical issue but as a condition for survival.

Debate over how to handle dormant coins is also expected to intensify. Some have proposed the concept of "digital salvage," using quantum technology to recover coins that have not moved for long periods, but Goertzel countered that granting governments the authority to hack wallets would set a dangerous precedent that undermines digital property rights.

Industry views are divided. Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao cautioned against excessive fear and said "the key is ultimately an upgrade to quantum-resistant algorithms." He also said the actual execution process could produce disputes, forks and new bugs because of coordination issues. Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya called Google's analysis "quite reasonable" and said a concrete roadmap is needed within a few years.

Measures at the level of individual investors were also suggested. Basic security guidelines were emphasized, such as using address schemes that can delay public key exposure and avoiding address reuse. Some also pointed out that in the case of ethereum (ETH), individuals have limited options because of structural characteristics.

The core of this debate is less about when the risk becomes real and more about who prepares first. Warnings are growing that even if quantum computing is not an immediate threat, missing the timing for preparation could shake market trust itself.