Crypto28 July, 20263 min read
AmericanFortress Unveils Quantum-Safe Crypto Wallet Protection Without Migrating Funds
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AmericanFortress proposes quantum-safe scheme protecting Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana wallets without migrating funds or changing addresses. Unveiled by blockchain security company AmericanFortress.
Quantum-safe wallet proposal
Blockchain security company AmericanFortress unveiled a cryptographic scheme it says could protect existing cryptocurrency wallets from future quantum attacks without requiring users to move funds, rotate keys or change wallet addresses. AmericanFortress said its approach allows existing wallet addresses to remain unchanged while adding post-quantum protection, and it published the proposal in a technical paper on the Cryptography ePrint Archive. The company described the scheme as compatible with seed-based hierarchical deterministic wallets used across Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL) and other networks that rely on elliptic curve cryptography, and it said the paper has not yet been peer-reviewed.
According to the paper, the scheme uses zero-knowledge proofs derived from a wallet’s original seed phrase instead of replacing the elliptic curve cryptography underlying existing wallets, while participating nodes verify those proofs and users continue signing transactions with their existing keys. AmericanFortress also cited a Bloomberg analysis estimating that up to $470 billion in Bitcoin could be vulnerable to quantum attacks if sufficiently powerful quantum computers become available.
Competing post-quantum paths
The AmericanFortress proposal is positioned alongside other post-quantum wallet efforts, including Freedom Factory’s PQ1, which it described as a post-quantum hardware wallet designed for Ethereum and other Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible networks. Cointelegraph reported that PQ1 uses post-quantum cryptographic signatures generated on dedicated hardware, and it said the wallet uses SPHINCS+C10 signatures and ERC-4337 smart accounts to secure transactions against future quantum attacks. TradingView said developers have increasingly focused on post-quantum cryptography because sufficiently powerful quantum computers could eventually break the elliptic-curve cryptography used to secure Bitcoin, Ethereum and many other blockchain networks.
While such computers are not yet available, TradingView said several blockchain projects have already begun researching migration strategies, including a Strategy-led consortium pledged $15 million to fund Bitcoin quantum security research. TradingView added that the Ethereum Foundation published a proposal for migrating accounts to quantum-resistant cryptography, and Algorand outlined plans to introduce quantum-resistant accounts by 2027.
Industry stakes and timeline
The stakes of the quantum transition are framed in terms of protecting private keys and avoiding changes to how wallets operate, with AmericanFortress’s scheme described as designed to prevent quantum attacks from compromising existing Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana wallets. bitcoin.es said the scheme uses a combination of quantum-safe cryptography and homomorphic cryptography to protect users' private keys and prevent quantum attacks from deciphering them, allowing users to keep funds in current wallets without migrating or changing wallet addresses. DiarioBitcoin emphasized that the available information does not include technical details, implementation dates, or specific assets, and it said the announcement does not detail the technical mechanism, launch date, compatible networks, or the conditions users would have to meet.
DiarioBitcoin also said the approach highlights preserving security without migrating funds, but it noted that it does not explain whether the proposal would work via a software update, an additional security layer, or a change in how transactions are authorized. In parallel, TradingView reported that Algorand outlined plans to introduce quantum-resistant accounts by 2027, while the Ethereum Foundation published a proposal for migrating accounts to quantum-resistant cryptography.