- ZeroTier CEO warns attackers are already storing encrypted financial data for future decryption.
- Andrew Gault says financial network traffic faces greater quantum risks than Bitcoin wallets.
- Glassnode estimates 6.04 million BTC could face future quantum risks from exposed public keys.
Concerns about quantum computing and Bitcoin security have centered on whether future machines could break private keys and access dormant cryptocurrency holdings. However, according to ZeroTier CEO Andrew Gault, a more immediate issue may already be unfolding across financial networks, as attackers collect encrypted communications today with the intention of decrypting them later.
Gault warned that advanced adversaries are using what is commonly described as a “harvest now, decrypt later” strategy. Under this approach, encrypted network traffic, authentication records, and digital signatures are stored for years until quantum computing capabilities become powerful enough to break current cryptographic protections.
Network Traffic Seen as a Growing Exposure
Speaking about the possible impact of quantum computing on financial infrastructure, Gault said the industry’s attention has been concentrated on Bitcoin wallet security while overlooking risks associated with data transmitted between institutions, exchanges, and payment providers.
According to Gault, attackers do not need immediate access to the contents of encrypted communications. Instead, they can build large collections of network traffic and wait until future quantum systems become capable of decrypting that information.
He stated that every interbank message, payment authentication record, and digital signature traveling across networks today could be collected and stored by adversaries. Gault added that security teams have traditionally focused on protecting stored data, while threat actors are increasingly targeting encrypted information in transit.
Bitcoin Quantum Debate Continues
The warning follows increased attention to Bitcoin’s long-term exposure to quantum computing, following research from Google Quantum AI suggesting that a sufficiently advanced quantum computer could derive a Bitcoin private key from an exposed public key in approximately 9 minutes.
That research intensified debate around Bitcoin’s post-quantum preparedness and the amount of cryptocurrency held in addresses with publicly exposed keys.
According to recent Glassnode data, it is estimated that approximately 6.04 million BTC, representing nearly 30% of Bitcoin’s supply, could face future quantum-related risks because the associated public keys have already been revealed on-chain.
The data further showed that around 4.12 million BTC of that exposure is linked to address reuse and older custody practices that increase public-key visibility. Centralized cryptocurrency exchanges were also found to hold more than 1.6 million BTC in potentially exposed addresses.
The renewed focus on quantum security comes amid weaker market participation.
According to CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost, Bitcoin spot trading volumes have declined by 81% since October 2025. The drop has pushed trading activity back toward levels last observed during the 2023 bear market, reflecting significantly lower participation across spot markets.
Related: 30% of All Bitcoin Is Already Exposed to Quantum Attack: Report
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