BitGo has announced the addition of four quantum-risk management controls for institutional Bitcoin wallets, aiming to measure and reduce public-key exposure before quantum attacks become practical. The tools apply to supported Bitcoin multi-signature wallets and include a Quantum Risk Score, a guided address-remediation workflow, a new UTXO selection method, and updated default address controls. According to BitGo, the release supports operational preparation and does not replace any future Bitcoin protocol upgrade.
The new controls are designed to address the risk of public-key exposure, which can occur when spending from a BTC address reveals its public key on-chain. This exposure can make coins tied to that key vulnerable to potential quantum attacks. BitGo's Quantum Risk Score gives clients an in-platform measure of exposure across supported wallets, while the Fix Exposed Addresses workflow moves affected funds into newly generated addresses whose public keys have not appeared on-chain.
Quantum Risk Background
The risk of quantum attacks is not immediate, but rather a future concern. As Blockstream co-founder Adam Back noted, "nobody has a quantum computer that can touch Bitcoin today." However, Bitcoin developers are discussing proposals such as BIP 360, a draft soft-fork proposal for Pay-to-Merkle-Root outputs, which aims to reduce long-exposure attacks. Glassnode estimated in May that 6.04 million BTC, or 30.2% of issued supply, had public-key exposure at rest.
Institutional Impact
The new controls are available for institutional clients, who can use the tools to review and move exposed balances. However, wider protection will depend on future Bitcoin proposals and adoption. BitGo has not disclosed how many clients can access the controls or whether they carry separate fees.
