#cryptofuture

Cryptocurrencies under threat: when technological innovation becomes a weapon of attack.

The new era of digital crime

Quantum computing: an emerging threat?

Although a real breach by a quantum machine has not yet been demonstrated, the cryptocurrency industry is acting cautiously. The reason? The cryptographic algorithms used in wallets, digital signatures, and blockchains may become obsolete due to a sufficiently powerful quantum machine.

SHA-256, for example, used by Bitcoin, is theoretically vulnerable to quantum algorithms like Grover's, which could drastically reduce the time needed to find a hash collision.

MIT and University of Waterloo experts have demonstrated quantum simulations in laboratory environments that compromise security keys in protocols like Ethereum, although they have not yet been scaled to real-world environments.

Impact on adoption and trust

Digital insecurity has a direct impact on adoption. Networks like Solana and BNB Chain have suffered user losses after media attacks. Additionally, there is growing distrust in centralized custodians. Cases like that of Atomic Wallet and the theft of over US$ 100 million in user funds in 2024 still resonate in the community.

Many Latin American investors and users, already facing ambiguous regulations, now face a security dilemma: where to store their funds? Which tools to trust?

Current solutions making a difference

Despite this complex scenario, there are active technologies that are helping to mitigate risks in tangible ways.

Multiparty Computation (MPC)

Protocols like Fireblocks and Zengo use MPC to distribute the private key among multiple devices, preventing direct theft of funds, even if one of the devices is compromised.

Current status: Implemented by major institutional exchanges, mobile wallets, and NFT custodians.