A genuine quantum computing threat to crypto would unfold differently than most people imagine. Here's what it actually looks like:

First, attackers monitor public keys that are already exposed on-chain. They don't need to crack anything initially—many addresses sit there publicly visible. Then comes the waiting game: they hold tight until quantum computing reaches sufficient maturity and processing power. Once that threshold hits, deriving private keys from those exposed addresses becomes feasible through quantum algorithms. At that point, it's relatively straightforward—the attacker simply moves the funds out without needing to exploit any weaknesses in the protocol itself.

The critical part? This attack vector targets users directly, not the underlying blockchain system. Your wallet security becomes the real weak point, not Bitcoin or Ethereum at the protocol level. This is why the quantum threat isn't just theoretical hype—it's a real consideration for long-term crypto security planning.