Quantum threat to Bitcoin? 80,000 BTC just moved after 14 years

80,000 BTC moved: What does this mean?

On July 4, 2025, 8 Satoshi-era Bitcoin wallets moved a full of 80,000 BTC. Each wallet contained 10,000 BTC, sparking inevitable turmoil successful the cryptocurrency space.

The Satoshi epoch is mostly considered to span the years 2009 to 2011. During that time, Bitcoin (BTC) could either beryllium transacted oregon mined with regular machine processors. Eight dormant Bitcoin wallets each sent a transaction of astir 10,000 BTC recently. This has led to speculation that threats from quantum computing caused the transfers.

The coins weren’t sent consecutive to cryptocurrency exchanges. They went to caller SegWit addresses, which suggests a information upgrade. SegWit addresses are thought to beryllium securer against quantum threats than older ones. The aged addresses usage pay-to-public-key (P2PK) oregon reused P2PK hash (P2PKH), which are much vulnerable.

Some posts connected X suggested that the transportation mightiness amusement a information breach oregon quantum worries. However, these claims deficiency grounds and look speculative.

Between July 14 and July 15, 2025, lone 10 days aft the ample movement, the wallet proprietor sent a full of 28,600 BTC, present valued astatine implicit $3 billion, to Galaxy Digital. So far, 9,000 BTC has been sold, astir apt triggering a downtrend connected July 15, erstwhile BTC dropped astir 5% from its astir caller all-time precocious of $123,000.

Did you know? Bitcoin’s terms successful 2011 fluctuated betwixt $0.78 and $3.37 erstwhile the whale purchased Bitcoin. At an mean of $2.45 per Bitcoin, the 80,000 BTC would person outgo the whale an archetypal concern of $197,200. At today’s terms of astir $118,000, the whale’s BTC is worthy $9.44 billion, an summation of astir 4,800,000%.

What is the quantum menace to Bitcoin?

Quantum exertion is simply a menace to Bitcoin arsenic it whitethorn compromise your wallet’s backstage keys. This could perchance hazard each the Bitcoin you person successful that wallet.

Many judge quantum computers whitethorn interruption the Bitcoin web and airs a superior hazard to its survival. Bitcoin developers are upgrading the strategy to tackle aboriginal risks, though the existent menace is inactive years away. They absorption connected dormant Bitcoin wallets, arsenic they are much astatine hazard from quantum attacks.

Quantum could instrumentality vantage of weaknesses successful the asymmetric cryptography protecting Bitcoin wallets. This includes the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) that Bitcoin uses for security.

Bitcoin wallets are secured by ECDSA to make a brace of private-public keys. If the ECDSA algorithm is compromised, past your Bitcoins are astatine risk. Experts deliberation applicable quantum attacks mightiness hap successful 5 to 20 years and spot 2030-2048 arsenic imaginable dates.

Old wallets are the astir susceptible to a quantum attack, arsenic they usage P2PK oregon reused P2PKH addresses, wherever nationalist keys are exposed. It is estimated that 5.9 cardinal BTC (approximately 25% of the supply) are successful P2PK oregon reused P2PKH addresses; therefore, those coins are susceptible to aboriginal quantum attacks. 

The 80,000 BTC moved came from P2PK addresses. Their nationalist keys weren’t exposed yet since these were aged Bitcoin transactions that had first-spend. This meant they were quantum-safe astatine that time. Moving them to SegWit addresses further enhances security.

Bitcoin developers, led by Casa laminitis and main exertion serviceman Jameson Lopp, person projected a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) to code the imaginable menace of quantum computing to Bitcoin’s security. The connection aims to support the web by freezing and phasing retired wallets susceptible to quantum attacks, which could perchance compromise astir 25% of Bitcoin’s supply, including the estimated 1 cardinal BTC held by Satoshi Nakamoto.

Bitcoin whale inactive for 14 years

Arkham Bitcoin whale investigation has analyzed the 8 wallets and recovered that they beryllium to the aforesaid entity. This sparked speculation arsenic to who this astir caller Bitcoin whale is.

A crypto whale is an idiosyncratic oregon entity that holds a important magnitude of a peculiar cryptocurrency, often capable to perchance power marketplace prices. A Bitcoin whale who each of a abrupt moves 80,000 BTC aft 14 years of inactivity was not going to spell unnoticed. Bitcoin whale trackers analyse blockchain information and transactions, but being an unfastened ledger, the blockchain is disposable to everyone.

Suspicious enactment had been recorded the time earlier the main BTC transfer. A transaction of 10,000 Bitcoin Cash (BCH) was made from a related wallet cluster, perchance to trial backstage cardinal access. This raised speculation of a imaginable hack, arsenic noted by Coinbase manager Conor Grogan, though nary grounds has been recovered yet.

Yet 1 of the astir supported theories is that this was Roger Ver’s Bitcoin question owed to his aboriginal engagement with Bitcoin since 2011. Ver, besides known arsenic “Bitcoin Jesus,” was arrested successful Spain connected US taxation evasion charges successful April 2024. He is accused of failing to wage $48 cardinal successful taxes connected the merchantability of $240 cardinal worthy of Bitcoin.

He was released connected bail successful June 2025, conscionable earlier the question occurred, sparking further speculation that the wallets are his.

Did you know? These 10,000-BTC movements travel from 8 wallets. Each 1 marks the largest Bitcoin transaction ever. The erstwhile grounds for the biggest azygous transaction successful Bitcoin past was a specified 3,700 BTC.

What are OP_RETURN messages?

OP_RETURN messages are a diagnostic of the Bitcoin blockchain that allows users to embed tiny amounts of data, with a maximum size of 80 bytes, straight into a transaction, which marks the output arsenic unspendable.

From July 1 to July 4, 2025, 4 OP-RETURN messages were added to the Bitcoin blockchain. These messages were sent to respective wallets astatine the aforesaid time.

The first, connected July 1, 2025, astatine 00:30, reads: 

“LEGAL NOTICE: We person taken possession of this wallet and its contents.” (Transaction ID: 4f7c80c05fd77a9c9b180f7f6400560d1ab6cf3a4ba1b6bf7429eeeefa500a05).

Three further messages were sent implicit the adjacent fewer days, culminating connected July 4, 2025. One connection gave the wallet proprietor an ultimatum. They request to beryllium ownership by making an onchain transaction with their backstage keys by Sept. 30, 2025. 

There’s nary impervious of a hack. It’s much apt a planned spam campaign. This could beryllium to instrumentality the wallet proprietor into moving funds to amusement control. Scammers often people dormant wallets, claiming they are abandoned.

The spam run triggered speculation crossed assorted online platforms. Some speculated that the OP_RETURN messages were a “legal stunt” oregon scam to unit the whale proprietor into revealing themselves.

Others called the messages “blockchain graffiti.” This is often a mode to capable the concatenation with bold data. However, their circumstantial absorption and timing amusement wide intent.