The validity of an experiment to compromise 15-bit elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) keys using quantum computing was questioned by Bitcoin Core developer James O’Byrne, who said the steps carried out by researcher Giancarlo Relli were a hoax.
The expert assured that on April 24th of this year, he was awarded a 1 BTC achievement by Project Eleven. Does not represent actual technological advances or breaches of network security. Instead, it is an operation on precomputed data with reduced-scale ECC family keys (significantly fewer bits than the 256 bits used in Bitcoin) and does not affect the integrity of current cryptography.
As reported by CriptoNoticias, organizers announced the event as the largest-ever public demonstration of the type of attack that threatens Bitcoin, Ethereum, and more than $2.5 trillion in assets.
However, O’Beirne refuted this premise, believing that a search space of 32,767 possibilities is insignificant for current technology.
O’Byrne’s main argument focuses on the fact that researchers used classical computers (traditional computers like the ones we use every day) to solve problems before using quantum equipment. The developers questioned the integrity of the process and asked, “How can you guys be so gullible?” “Like all of Scholl’s previous ‘applications,’ this one involves classical pre-computation that encodes the solution to the problem into the quantum circuit itself.”
Technically speaking, Scholl’s algorithm is a formula that could potentially compromise the encryption that protects Bitcoin. For this to be valid, a quantum computer must autonomously find a solution. However, O’Byrne argues that: Researchers designed the circuit so that the necessary clues were already includedstates that “the response was already loaded into the system before it started.” Therefore, he argues, Lelli simply programmed the processor to “spit out answers it already knew.”
“Although quantum threats are evolving, this has not demonstrated effective key destruction using quantum computing,” the social network said.
Project Eleven protects itself from criticism
In the face of such criticism, Alex Pruden, CEO of Project Eleven, which specializes in post-quantum security for digital assets, acknowledged that: Relies on traditional methods but defends their validity.
Pruden challenged the critics’ position, saying, “You understand that Scholl’s algorithm relies on classical pre-processing and post-processing at any scale, right?” The executive said the technology being used is “not scalable” to larger keys, but “that doesn’t make it any less quantum” or prevent the demonstration.
This technological showdown leaves open questions about whether a real crypto crisis is on the horizon. Meanwhile, the industry is watching closely to see whether the experiment represents real progress toward Q-Day, the theoretical moment when quantum computing invades global networks. On the other hand, suspicions have also surfaced Is this just a post-quantum security marketing strategy?is based on methods that do not pose a real threat to Bitcoin’s robustness in its current state due to its lack of scalability and reliance on traditional computation.
