Coinbase is warning that the crypto industry needs to prepare for a post-quantum future, developing post-quantum custody technology while contributing engineers and funding to network security efforts. The company says uncertainty remains over when quantum computers could threaten digital assets, making early preparation essential. A Quantum Computer Could One Day Break Crypto Security — Coinbase Is Preparing Now Key Takeaways - Coinbase is building a quantum-resistant version of the system protecting about 99.9% of its custodial assets. - The company will bring Bitcoin developers, cryptographers and researchers together at Stanford in August. - The company is contributing funding and engineers to Bitcoin’s wider post-quantum security effort. Coinbase Warns Crypto’s Protection Could Eventually Break Crypto exchange Coinbase (Nasdaq: COIN) has started preparing its custody systems and infrastructure for a future in which powerful quantum computers could defeat the cryptography protecting Bitcoin, Ethereum and other blockchain networks. Coinbase Chief Information Security Officer Jeff Lunglhofer outlined the company’s position in a July 23 company blog post: “A large-scale quantum computer capable of breaking current cryptography will eventually be built. No one knows exactly when. But the work to prepare needs to start now, not when it’s urgent.” The company said its Independent Advisory Board on Quantum Computing and Blockchain has high confidence that a fault-tolerant quantum computer will eventually be developed. Coinbase formed the board to assess long-term quantum risks facing digital assets, according to Coinbase’s quantum advisory board announcement. “The cryptography that secures virtually every major blockchain is vulnerable when it arrives. The threat is not imminent, but the timeline is genuinely uncertain,” Lunglhofer added. The warning does not suggest that quantum computers can currently defeat the cryptography securing major blockchains. Instead, Coinbase argues that upgrading global blockchain systems, moving millions of users and replacing vulnerable cryptographic methods could take years, making