Justin Drake urges crypto ‘bunker mode,’ as AI could break wallet security within months

Ethereum researcher Justin Drake has called on the cryptocurrency industry to prepare for a defensive 'bunker mode' as recent advances in artificial intelligence make it increasingly plausible that the elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA) could be broken sooner than expected. In a post on X, Drake said that AI-driven mathematical progress — including a series of recent findings published by OpenAI — suggests attackers might be able to recover private keys from public keys before sufficiently powerful quantum computers appear. Drake pointed to a spate of AI-generated mathematical results released recently by OpenAI and described how those developments have shaken longstanding mathematical intuitions. The researcher highlighted that elliptic curve cryptography, which underpins ECDSA, may be particularly vulnerable because elliptic curves possess algebraic structure that could be exploited by advanced algorithms, whereas cryptographic hashes are designed to minimize such structure. As a mitigation, Drake recommended initiating a controlled migration of funds to fresh addresses that conceal public keys behind hashes until they are used. He advised that large and sophisticated holders move their assets first and suggested that users move any remaining balance to a new address after signing a transaction, since signing can disclose a public key. Drake cautioned that migrations should be gradual and carefully managed, warning that a rushed mass move could cause more harm than benefit. The warning frames a potential new threat vector distinct from the long-discussed quantum risk: instead of relying on quantum hardware, attackers could leverage advanced AI and mathematical methods to undermine current signature schemes. Drake's guidance, if adopted broadly, would affect wallet hygiene practices, custody procedures and how on-chain key exposure is managed across exchanges and large holders.