Justin Drake urges crypto ‘bunker mode,’ as AI could break wallet security within months

The Ethereum researcher said crypto users should consider moving funds to fresh addresses, warning AI could threaten private-key security before quantum computers do.

Ethereum researcher Justin Drake has urged the industry to prepare for “bunker mode,” recommending users gradually move assets to fresh addresses amid concerns that advances in artificial intelligence could undermine the cryptography used in today’s blockchains.

In an X post on Wednesday, Drake said recent advances in AI, particularly OpenAI’s release of mathematical breakthroughs, suggest AI could eventually make it possible to break the elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA) used to secure cryptocurrency wallets.

“It is now reasonable to brace for the possibility that ECDSA breaks before qday, in the worst case in months not years,” said Drake. 

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