Researchers have published a paper documenting a successful factorization of a 15-bit elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA) key using a quantum computer — the same algorithm underpinning Bitcoin’s transaction signing — reigniting debate over how soon the network’s security could be challenged by quantum hardware.The achievement, while modest by classical standards, represents a meaningful proof-of-concept of quantum-native ECDSA cracking. The researchers used a 127-qubit processor to accomplish the task in under six hours.”This is not an existential threat to Bitcoin today,” said Dr. Elena Kowalski, one of the paper’s authors. “Bitcoin uses 256-bit keys. What we demonstrated requires extrapolating…
Author: Ryan Foster
A US federal court has issued a final ruling confirming that XRP is not a security when sold to retail investors on open markets, bringing the years-long legal battle between Ripple Labs and the SEC to a definitive close.The ruling concluded that “programmatic sales of XRP to retail purchasers in the secondary market do not constitute investment contracts under the Howey test.” Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse called it “a watershed moment for the entire crypto industry.”Coinbase announced within hours of the ruling that it would relist the token. Kraken, Gemini, and eToro followed within days. Analysts estimated the collective relisting…