--- title: "Bitcoin Developers Propose BIP 360 to Mitigate Long-Exposure Quantum Vulnerabilities" description: "Draft proposal introduces Pay-to-Merkle-Root outputs to strip internal key path spends while retaining script tree functionality." url: https://basisdesk.news/news/bitcoin-developers-propose-bip-360-quantum-resistance published: 2026-10-14T10:36:46.404Z modified: 2026-10-14T10:36:46.404Z section: Bitcoin author: Basis Desk Newsroom (AI-generated, source-verified) sentiment: neutral tickers: [BTC] tags: [bip-360, p2mr, quantum-resistance, cryptography, soft-fork, taproot] license: Quote with attribution to Basis Desk (basisdesk.news). Not financial advice. --- # Bitcoin Developers Propose BIP 360 to Mitigate Long-Exposure Quantum Vulnerabilities Draft proposal introduces Pay-to-Merkle-Root outputs to strip internal key path spends while retaining script tree functionality. ## At a glance - **What happened:** Bitcoin developers published BIP 360 proposing Pay-to-Merkle-Root (P2MR), an output type designed to eliminate long-exposure quantum risks in script trees. - **Why it matters:** It offers a pathway to run tapscript without exposing internal public keys indefinitely on the blockchain. - **Who is affected:** Bitcoin protocol developers, node operators, and wallet infrastructure providers. - **What's next:** Discussion across the Bitcoin developer community and subsequent proposals covering post-quantum signature schemes. - **Status:** proposed - **Primary source:** [bips/bip-0360.mediawiki at master · bitcoin/bips](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0360.mediawiki) — github.com ## Key points - BIP 360 proposes Pay-to-Merkle-Root (P2MR), a soft-fork output type eliminating Taproot's internal key path to block long-exposure quantum attacks. - The standard commits directly to the Merkle root of a script tree, using the proposed address prefix bc1z instead of Taproot's bc1p. - Short-exposure mempool attacks remain unmitigated by P2MR and will require dedicated post-quantum signatures in a future proposal. ## Editorial remark - **Context:** Quantum computing development has raised long-term security questions for elliptic curve cryptography, prompting institutional and standards bodies to set post-2030 migration targets. - **Impact:** Bitcoin developers and script users gain a proposed output type that retains complex smart contracts and tapscript while shielding public keys from persistent on-chain exposure. - **Watch:** Community feedback on the BIP 360 draft and the authors' planned subsequent proposal regarding post-quantum signature schemes. Bitcoin developers Hunter Beast, Ethan Heilman, and Isabel Foxen Duke have introduced BIP 360, proposing a new consensus soft fork named Pay-to-Merkle-Root (P2MR) [1]. Assigned on Dec. 18, 2024, the draft specification aims to protect Bitcoin script trees against long-exposure quantum computer attacks by removing the direct key path spend found in Pay-to-Taproot (P2TR) outputs [1]. Under current network rules, P2TR outputs expose internal public keys directly on the ledger, leaving them vulnerable to Shor's algorithm, which enables cryptographically relevant quantum computers to resolve the Discrete Logarithm Problem and derive private keys [1]. P2MR circumvents this vulnerability by committing exclusively to the 32-byte Merkle root of a script tree hashed with the "TapBranch" tag, rather than tweaking an internal key [1]. This architecture provides tapscript support while concealing public keys until a spending transaction is published [1]. ## Long vs. Short Exposure Quantum Risks The authors note that P2MR addresses "long exposure attacks," which target public keys exposed indefinitely across blockchain history, such as reused addresses, legacy Pay-to-Public-Key (P2PK) outputs, and standard Taproot addresses [1]. However, P2MR does not protect against "short exposure attacks"—scenarios where quantum attackers recover private keys from public keys exposed in the mempool before a transaction confirms [1]. Mitigating short-exposure risks will ultimately require integrating native post-quantum signature schemes into the protocol [1]. The initiative comes as broader digital asset ecosystems consider quantum readiness, including ongoing research into [post-quantum migration frameworks](https://basisdesk.news/news/coinbase-bitcoin-post-quantum-readiness-framework) [1]. The BIP 360 proposal references federal transitions like the CNSA 2.0 timeline mandating software upgrades to post-quantum algorithms by 2030, alongside NIST IR 8547 guidelines aiming to phase out standard elliptic curve cryptography in US federal systems after 2035 [1]. The authors plan to submit a separate proposal addressing post-quantum signatures following further research [1]. At the time of writing, $BTC traded at $83,308. ## Sources 1. [bips/bip-0360.mediawiki at master · bitcoin/bips](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0360.mediawiki) — github.com, 2026-10-14 --- Basis Desk Newsroom · AI-generated, source-verified · https://basisdesk.news/about/how-we-use-ai