Senior Content Manager @MARAFoundation_ | Prev. @decryptmedia, @coinage_media, @nytimes | tg: andrebeganski

Fort Lauderdale, FL
Joined January 2012
So proud to have worked on this one! Isabel Foxen Duke and Yehuda Lindell dive deep into how Coinbase could secure $250B against quantum threats. If you want to understand the friction between MPC and potential signature schemes for Bitcoin, watch this.
MFTV #17: Quantum-Securing $250B with Coinbase’s Head of Cryptography 🔗 YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=fP5ZJuHU… 🌿 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/6Nv… Head of Cryptography at @coinbase, Yehuda Lindell (@LindellYehuda), joins Isabel Foxen Duke to discuss Coinbase's post-quantum strategy and the technical hurdles of upgrading its MPC systems—especially if Bitcoin adopts a hash-based scheme. HIGHLIGHTS: This episode explores how Coinbase is preparing for a post-quantum world, regardless of the signature scheme that Bitcoin adopts: — Coinbase’s internal roadmap and multi-year push toward post-quantum readiness — The distinct differences between MPC and multi-sig for enterprise custodians — Why upgrading MPC to support hash-based signatures may be especially challenging — How programmable HSMs could preserve optionality when MPC falls short — Why hybrid signature schemes might be a strong path forward for Bitcoin TIMESTAMPS: ⏳ 00:56 — When Coinbase started preparing for a post-quantum world 📜 03:19 — Coinbase’s 4-pillar post-quantum strategy document 🤯 08:25 — Why Scott Aaronson changing his mind was a tipping point 🏦 14:02 — The role of custodians in protocol-level upgrades 🔐 22:39 — Multi-Party Computation (MPC) vs Multi-sig 🔑 26:11 — Managing employee keys without on-chain transactions 🤖 33:11 — AI's role in security and formal code verification ⚙️ 36:15 — The technical challenge of quantum-upgrading MPC ⚖️ 37:59 — Lattices, hash-based signatures, and efficiency tradeoffs 🛡️ 47:19 — The programmable HSM backup plan 🔀 55:08 — Why hybrid signature schemes are the optimal solution 🕵️‍♂️ 59:22 — Publicly verifiable backups and zero-knowledge proofs 💪 1:01:27 — Why cryptography will survive quantum computing
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BitVM bridges unlock greater programmability and payments use cases for Bitcoin, but they currently rely on elliptic curve operations, which aren't secure in a post-quantum world. At @tabconf, @AlpenLabs Research Engineer Christian Lewe (@uncomputab1e) explained why the infrastructure startup is researching post-quantum alternatives for their garbled circuits bridge: "Groth16 is state of the art. It's great. Everybody loves this... but it's not post-quantum secure, so we cannot use it." Full quantum resistance on Bitcoin's base layer will likely require a soft fork. But teams are prepping now to ensure BitVM bridges are ready for a full post-quantum solution when that day comes. Full presentation to follow TABConf soon.
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For nearly a decade, @tabconf has served as a technical institution for the Bitcoin development space. At MARA Foundation, we’re thankful to have participated in its final year — and an unforgettable afterparty. Extra gratitude for Slipstream lead maintainer @peterktodd and BitVM creator @robin_linus for their discussions on Slipstream and its use for creative Bitcoin development and R&D 🙏🙏 We’ll never forget the friends we made along the way 😉
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Slipstream creator @PortlandHODL recently passed the torch to veteran Bitcoin Core contributor @peterktodd — making Todd its new lead maintainer with Slipstream strategist and Head of MARA Foundation @isabelfoxenduke. Team Slipstream met in-person for the first time @tabconf, celebrating at the event’s official afterparty 🎉
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“The Fundamental Law of Bitcoin Script: even the weirdest quirk eventually becomes a feature.” Bitcoin script wizard @robin_linus describes his “abuse of Bitcoin Script” for the creation of Binohash — a covenant-emulation technique, enabling technologies like @starkware’s Quantum Safe Bitcoin. Binohash requires the use of nonstandard transactions, relying on @MARA Slipstream to execute the quirkiest of quirky scripts 😉
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At @tabconf, Slipstream lead maintainer and veteran Bitcoin Core contributor Peter Todd (@peterktodd) discussed OpenTimestamps, which he created, and its use for “carbon-dating data” on Bitcoin. Carlos Toriello (@carlostoriello), CEO of Simple Proof, additionally shared how he’s using the protocol to create permanent, tamper-proof timestamps for digital documents and records — especially in judicial, legal and political settings where tamperproof evidence is of most critical importance.
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As AI introduces new threats to Bitcoin’s ecosystem, independent developers are using those same tools to investigate, test, and secure infrastructure. Speaking to a crowded audience during the Red Team panel at @tabconf, AnchorWatch CEO Rob Hamilton highlighted the importance of community-driven security research: "No one's coming to help us. We all just started doing this stuff because we care about Bitcoin, we wanted to start doing something, and I think it's cool that Bitcoin has these organic immune responses that come step in to help people out." From left, panelists and Red Team heroes include: @brian_trollz, @reardencode, @Rob1Ham, @PortlandHODL, @KLoaec, @stutxo
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At @tabconf, @januszg_, CEO and co-founder of LX Research Labs, points to what he describes as a key limitation of Bitcoin privacy protocols: shielded pools currently rely on trusted, federated pegs because their complex zero-knowledge transactions cannot be verified natively. "Because the transaction types are not executable in script, you have to rely on a peg, and that peg has to be able to verify kind of the state of the shielded network." To better address points of centralization, he highlighted the Great Script Restoration (GSR). Reactivating legacy opcodes originally disabled by Satoshi Nakamoto would allow developers to embed advanced logic directly into Bitcoin script, he said, ultimately creating trust-minimized infrastructure for these shielded systems without nascent cryptography.
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André Beganski retweeted
As AI introduces new threats to Bitcoin’s ecosystem, independent developers are using those same tools to investigate, test, and secure infrastructure. Speaking to a crowded audience during the Red Team panel at @tabconf, AnchorWatch CEO Rob Hamilton highlighted the importance of community-driven security research: "No one's coming to help us. We all just started doing this stuff because we care about Bitcoin, we wanted to start doing something, and I think it's cool that Bitcoin has these organic immune responses that come step in to help people out." From left, panelists and Red Team heroes include: @brian_trollz, @reardencode, @Rob1Ham, @PortlandHODL, @KLoaec, @stutxo
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Whenever someone say “X on Bitcoin without a soft fork,” make them explain the bridging mechanism in detail. Shielded CSV is an L2 that would absolutely need a soft fork to execute trustlessly on Bitcoin. I’m honestly disappointed in @BitcoinMagazine for this title. They should know better.
BREAKING: Researchers at Imperial College London propose framework for post-quantum private transfers on Bitcoin without a need for a soft fork 👀
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Eric Price, Senior Pool Engineer & Researcher at MARA, makes the case at @tabconf that when you partially throttle the amount of power directed towards miners instead of taking a binary off-and-on approach, that essentially gives you greater visibility into the overall state of your mining fleet. "We can operate our fleet more efficiently in a dynamic, changing environment," Price explains. "The more direct benefit is having full observability of the fleet at all times. In the presence of changes underlying the fleet — the rate of hashing, electricity flow, heat — these factors cause us to lose visibility when the system is under an adverse state."
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Replying to @Truthcoin
Sharing a sampling of the TABConf elite @stutxo @Truthcoin @robin_linus you can guess who made what bets
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Hello everyone. I’m seeking a full-time reporter/journalist role covering artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and blockchain, and quantum computing. I have a decade of journalism experience, from founding Crypto Insights Journal in 2016 and launching Exploration Arcanum in 2019 to reporting for Decrypt from October 2021 through September 2026. My experience includes breaking news, features, interviews, explainers, analysis, conference coverage, source development, podcast hosting, multimedia reporting, and audio/video editing. I’ve worked primarily as a remote journalist and am based in California, with easy access to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas for major industry conferences, interviews, and on-the-ground reporting. Samples of my work can be found at authory.com/JasonNelson While my priority is a full-time position, I’m also open to contract and freelance assignments. For editors and media outlets interested in discussing potential opportunities, please feel free to contact me directly via email or direct message. Reposts are greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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André Beganski retweeted
FLORIDA SUNSET! 🌅🌀 Sky on fire this evening along Pensacola Beach just 24 hours before the landfall of Hurricane Isaias. The calm before the storm. Credit: @DWPhotographed
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"It's hard in Bitcoin, because ultimately it's built to be transparent by design—so anytime you think about trying to achieve privacy on Bitcoin, you're going against the grain of how the protocol is designed." I had the difficult, but necessary conversation with @cakewallet COO @sethforprivacy. Wallet developers need to take the burden of supporting users with privacy efforts — the technology is too rife with privacy footguns for users to manage Bitcoin privacy on their own. In this episode, we cover the evolution of privacy tech on Bitcoin, and how wallets can integrate these technologies to make privacy practical for everyday users.
BITCOIN RAILS #74: The Evolution of Privacy Technologies on Bitcoin | with Cake Wallet COO Seth for Privacy 🔗 YouTube: youtu.be/A7Di925wFEU 🌿 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5Wq… There are few people as close to the frontlines of Bitcoin privacy as Cake Wallet COO Seth for Privacy (@sethforprivacy). After cutting his teeth building for Monero, Seth turned his focus to Bitcoin in 2022, with the view that making Bitcoin more private would ultimately help more people than focusing on a smaller niche target group alone. “I would love for Monero not to need to exist,” says Seth, as we examine the technical hurdles of bringing true privacy to Bitcoin. Although he believes that the ability to easily verify transactions on-chain is widely credited with helping Bitcoin gain early traction, Seth argues that its transparent design presents challenges that fundamentally challenge Bitcoin privacy, often making Bitcoin less private than the existing fiat system. That said, Seth sees potential for key technical advancements in Bitcoin privacy — especially “Silent Payments,” developed by Ruben Somsen and Josie Baker — as having potential to move the needle on Bitcoin Privacy. We dive into these developments and other key privacy technologies for Bitcoin in this episode, as well reviewing the regulatory and cultural hurdles faced by developers and users alike. TIMESTAMPS: 🍰 01:15 The origins of Cake Wallet and early use for Monero before Bitcoin ⛏️ 07:22 How Monero's RandomX algorithm defends against ASIC-fueled centralization 🛡️ 15:15 The importance of default privacy and fungibility for blockchains 🕰️ 32:10 The early days of Bitcoin privacy: CoinJoin, Samurai, and Wasabi 🕵️ 39:47 Exploring the limitations of stealth addresses and BIP47 🤫 45:54 Silent Payments and friction with “handshake” transactions 🛠️ 55:00 Overcoming developer hurdles with Silent Payments 🪙 1:05:33 Managing UTXOs and the necessity of intuitive Coin Control ⛓️ 1:16:40 Evaluating Layer 2 privacy, covenants, and custody trade-offs 🔍 1:26:40 The core tension between supply auditability and privacy blinding ⚖️ 1:32:07 The chilling effect of the Samurai Wallet and Tornado Cash indictments This interview is brought to you by: LayerTwo Labs @LayerTwoLabs — developing research, software, and technologies for scaling Bitcoin via the integration of Drivechains (BIP 300/301) Hashi on @SuiNetwork — a primitive for executing Bitcoin DeFi transactions, without having to trust a federated bridge or other centralized entity BitBox @BitBoxSwiss — an open-source Bitcoin-only hardware wallet, with smooth UX and no compromises on security. Check out Bitbox [dot] swiss and use code BITCOINRAILS to get a discount
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André Beganski retweeted
Seth’s full interview with @isabelfoxenduke is officially live! 🎉 One of the big topics? Understanding that there’s a whole group of people who aren’t hardcore privacy nerds, but would love to use more privacy-focused products if they were just easier to use. Watch the full conversation 👉 youtu.be/A7Di925wFEU
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This was suuuuuch a great convo, @isabelfoxenduke has such a masterful way of pulling on threads. Jump into the full pod below, we touched on everything privacy related happening in Bitcoin!
BITCOIN RAILS #74: The Evolution of Privacy Technologies on Bitcoin | with Cake Wallet COO Seth for Privacy 🔗 YouTube: youtu.be/A7Di925wFEU 🌿 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5Wq… There are few people as close to the frontlines of Bitcoin privacy as Cake Wallet COO Seth for Privacy (@sethforprivacy). After cutting his teeth building for Monero, Seth turned his focus to Bitcoin in 2022, with the view that making Bitcoin more private would ultimately help more people than focusing on a smaller niche target group alone. “I would love for Monero not to need to exist,” says Seth, as we examine the technical hurdles of bringing true privacy to Bitcoin. Although he believes that the ability to easily verify transactions on-chain is widely credited with helping Bitcoin gain early traction, Seth argues that its transparent design presents challenges that fundamentally challenge Bitcoin privacy, often making Bitcoin less private than the existing fiat system. That said, Seth sees potential for key technical advancements in Bitcoin privacy — especially “Silent Payments,” developed by Ruben Somsen and Josie Baker — as having potential to move the needle on Bitcoin Privacy. We dive into these developments and other key privacy technologies for Bitcoin in this episode, as well reviewing the regulatory and cultural hurdles faced by developers and users alike. TIMESTAMPS: 🍰 01:15 The origins of Cake Wallet and early use for Monero before Bitcoin ⛏️ 07:22 How Monero's RandomX algorithm defends against ASIC-fueled centralization 🛡️ 15:15 The importance of default privacy and fungibility for blockchains 🕰️ 32:10 The early days of Bitcoin privacy: CoinJoin, Samurai, and Wasabi 🕵️ 39:47 Exploring the limitations of stealth addresses and BIP47 🤫 45:54 Silent Payments and friction with “handshake” transactions 🛠️ 55:00 Overcoming developer hurdles with Silent Payments 🪙 1:05:33 Managing UTXOs and the necessity of intuitive Coin Control ⛓️ 1:16:40 Evaluating Layer 2 privacy, covenants, and custody trade-offs 🔍 1:26:40 The core tension between supply auditability and privacy blinding ⚖️ 1:32:07 The chilling effect of the Samurai Wallet and Tornado Cash indictments This interview is brought to you by: LayerTwo Labs @LayerTwoLabs — developing research, software, and technologies for scaling Bitcoin via the integration of Drivechains (BIP 300/301) Hashi on @SuiNetwork — a primitive for executing Bitcoin DeFi transactions, without having to trust a federated bridge or other centralized entity BitBox @BitBoxSwiss — an open-source Bitcoin-only hardware wallet, with smooth UX and no compromises on security. Check out Bitbox [dot] swiss and use code BITCOINRAILS to get a discount
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“The fact that AI can prove theorems that have been hard does not indicate in any way that problems assumed to be hard are not. Our assumptions on hard problems are not based merely on human fallibility but on a belief that inherent hardness exists.” Important counterpoints to recent @drakefjustin post on potential for AI-fueled breaks to ECDSA by @coinbase Head of Cryptography @LindellYehuda
I wasn’t going to comment since this is a really bad take IMO, but since it’s taken off I feel the need to. To my understanding, there is no evidence whatsoever pointing to a break of decades old hardness assumptions like elliptic curve cryptography. 1/n
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Hopping on to talk about Quantum in 5…
BMTV is LIVE from 9:30-11:30 AM ET Guests: @Calamos - John Koudounis (@JKoudounis) @bitfinex - Jesse Knutson @twentyone - Rapha Zagury (@RaphaZagury) @MARAFoundation_ - Isabel Foxen Duke (@isabelfoxenduke) @ChaincodeLabs - Antoine Poinsot (@darosior)
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Mara Foundations Isabel Foxen Duke on where Bitcoin actually stands against quantum: "For the most part, most addresses that are already used are quantum resistant against most types of attacks." "There are some concerns about more advanced attacks. For extra levels of security around those types of attacks, or full Bitcoin quantum resistance, you will want to use a quantum resistant address type."
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