Starknet Cites 26-Fold Drop in Estimated Qubits Needed to Break Wallet Key

Starknet’s Nov. 13 update cited a roughly 6,000-qubit array as the largest built so far and said estimates of the resources needed to attack a wallet key had fallen 26-fold.

In a Nov. 13 post, the network also put the largest qubit array built so far at about 6,000 qubits. The post’s text did not give the starting or ending estimates behind the comparison or cite the research used. Starknet’s figures describe an estimate, not a reported attack or a threshold it said had been crossed.

A Starknet blog published Aug. 7 set a goal of reaching full post-quantum security in 2027. It said a wallet using a post-quantum signature scheme completed a transfer on Starknet’s mainnet in July, but characterized the account as experimental and unaudited. At the time, the blog said standard wallets did not support post-quantum signing.

Starknet’s bridge and data-availability layer still depend on Ethereum. The blog put Ethereum’s post-quantum security target around 2029 and said that reliance ties some of Starknet’s security work to Ethereum’s schedule. Researching an independent Layer 1 could give Starknet more control over when it makes security changes, the blog said.

In October, holders of the Starknet token (STRK) backed research into a possible independent Layer 1 in a nonbinding poll; they did not approve a transition. Starknet’s governance closeout said 93.52% of voting power supported the research. EconoTimes previously reported on holders backing the study.

StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation are preparing a white paper through a joint working group. Any move to an independent Layer 1 would require a binding community vote.