The proposal to protect Bitcoin from quantum computers has been updated and integrated into the official GitHub repository.
BIP 360, a proposal to prepare Bitcoin for future cybersecurity threats, has been updated and integrated into the official GitHub repository of Bitcoin Improvement Proposals (BIP). The initiative represents a new step in efforts to strengthen the network against emerging risks from cryptography and quantum computing. However, a merge into the BIP repository does not imply endorsement or future activation.
The proposal introduces a new type of Bitcoin output called Pay-to-Merkle-Root (P2MR), designed to support quantum-resistant script tree functionality while maintaining compatibility with existing Tapscript infrastructure. BIP 360 supporters describe the proposal as an early move toward quantum hardening of Bitcoin at the protocol level.
Quantum computing represents a potential threat to Bitcoin because sufficiently advanced machines could be able to derive private keys from exposed public keys, causing theft of funds. Taproot addresses, along with Pay-to-Public-Key (P2PK) outputs and reused addresses, are considered more at risk because public keys are visible on-chain. P2MR is conceptually similar to Taproot but removes a key weakness: it disables the key-path spending method that can expose public keys.
“The introduction of BIP 360 and P2MR is a first step in a broader set of quantum resistance proposals that will be needed to make Bitcoin resistant to quantum computers,” said co-author Hunter Beast, Bitcoin developer and senior protocol engineer at MARA. Beast added that the team is also exploring proposals to address vulnerable coins that are unlikely to move, including long-dormant holdings.
The latest update adds Isabel Foxen Duke as co-author alongside Beast and cryptographic researcher Ethan Heilman. Duke, a technical communications specialist, explained that the goal was to make the proposal understandable beyond the developer community: “Given the sensitivity of the topic, we aimed to ensure that the BIP was written clearly and comprehensibly for the general public.”
