{
  "id": 8291759,
  "title": "Blockchain Developers Are Racing to Protect Against the Quantum Threat. Here's What It Means for Bitcoin and Ethereum Investors.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/blockchain-developers-are-racing-to-protect-against-the-quantum",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-18T18:21:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Motley Fool",
    "slug": "motley-fool",
    "url": "https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/09/18/blockchain-protection-against-quantum/?source=iedfolrf0000001"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Blockchain developers are racing against the clock to safeguard against the burgeoning threat posed by quantum computers. Imagine a locksmith who can deduce the exact shape of a lock's key simply by observing the exterior. This is akin to what a sufficiently advanced quantum computer could do to Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) networks. Every cryptocurrency transaction involves a public key, which can be reverse-engineered to reveal the corresponding private key using a powerful quantum machine. Today, such a computer would take a normal computer longer than the universe has existed to crack the code. However, a quantum computer running Shor's algorithm could do it in a matter of hours. Google Quantum AI, a division of Alphabet, has done the math, estimating that between 1,200 to 1,450 logical qubits would be needed, with a runtime of 18 to 23 minutes, assuming superconducting hardware. The Ethereum Foundation and Stanford researchers have signed off on these findings.",
  "summary": "Google says breaking Bitcoin's signatures needs fewer than 500,000 qubits. The best machines running today have about 2,500.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Nasdaq Markets",
        "title": "Blockchain Developers Are Racing to Protect Against the Quantum Threat. Here's What It Means for Bitcoin and Ethereum Investors.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/blockchain-developers-are-racing-to-protect-against-the-quantum-8292636",
        "published": "2026-09-18T18:41:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}