The Binance hack was a harsh reminder: Nothing online is truly safe. After the largest cryptocurrency theft on record — initiated through classic phishing but executed through AI tools — corporate America and security analysts are warning of the fresh dangers posed by sophisticated AI technology, which can find and exploit software flaws much faster than people can. The risks, it seems, are on the rise for everyone. “This is every crypto platform, every wallet service, every bank, every financial institution that you use,” Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao said in an interview with Yahoo Finance. “Especially now with AI improving so quickly, I think we’re going to see a lot more of this.” While the hack underscored the weaknesses of centralized financial intermediaries, rather than the underlying blockchain technology, “its effects could spread to other market participants,” Moody’s analysts wrote in a note this week. Circle’s (CRCL) Jeremy Allaire told us this week that the acceleration of agentic AI means risk is accelerating dramatically in tandem. “Any critical infrastructure, any major industry, hospital systems, energy systems, utilities, financial industry participants — everyone has risk here,” he said. “I think the threat vectors are some of the most intense vectors we have ever seen in the history of the world. I think we are in a hot environment right now, and everyone needs to be operating from the assumption that they are under attack.” It’s truly wild to think that bank robberies, a phenomenon that seems almost archaic, are a risk that has somehow boomeranged back. John Dillinger, circa December 1933. (Chicago Tribune historical photo/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) · Chicago Tribune via Getty Images And just like AI’s turbocharged hacking worries, a new tech specter sits on the horizon, without a kill switch: “Q-day.” Quantum computing presents an enticing idea: the ability to tackle calculations that would be impractical for legacy computers, while using far less energy. As early as 2030, computer scientists project that quantum computers can break the traditional encryption that safeguards pillars of the economy, such as the financial system and global communications, a moment the industry calls “Q-day.” It’s something we’ve been seeing in Wall Street analyst research that’s mostly been absent from broader headlines, because it’s more long-term. But in September, Bank of America’s thematic research team noted that a key security algorithm could be broken with far fewer quantum bits (qubits) than previously thought. In just 10 months, researchers saw progress to the tune of a 99% (not a typo) decrease. Q-day has already moved up to potentially 2030 and could arrive even sooner as quantum computing evolves and scales and people put it to real-world use. “We believe that point may arrive sooner than previously anticipated,” another BofA team wrote in a note to clients this week. Quantum computing has drawn renewed attention in Washington and on Wall Street. This summer, President Trump signed two executive orders focused on spurring development of quantum machines and accelerating the timeline for government readiness against quantum-fueled cyberattacks. Last month, Intel (INTC) announced an agreement to buy Classiq Technologies, an Israeli quantum software startup. And Coinbase (COIN) CEO Brian Armstrong said during an earnings call that quantum computing, rather than AI, represents a more serious long-term threat to crypto security. (Disclosure: Yahoo Finance has a partnership with Coinbase.) Is anyone “quantum safe”? Google (GOOG, GOOGL) earlier this year published landmark research suggesting that a theoretical quantum machine could break elliptic-curve cryptography, a form of public-key encryption technique that corporations rely on and that helps secure crypto wallets, Bloomberg reported. The tech giant urged other firms to move toward newer forms of security designed to defend against attacks from quantum machines. Google plans to update its own security systems to post-quantum cryptography, or PQC, by 2029. Other tech companies and big banks are already working to guard against the code-breaking abilities of future computers. Armstrong said Coinbase started upgrading its infrastructure to equip it with enhanced safeguards. Meta (META) and Apple (AAPL) have integrated post-quantum security into their platforms. And leading financial institutions are developing new technologies as well. But just as in traditional cybersecurity, industry standards and best practices live alongside a seemingly endless stream of cyberattacks. As Q-day approaches, heightened security measures might become a brand selling point. If the AI roll-out — and accelerating power — is anything to go by, the combination of AI and quantum could move corporate and financial institution defense to the forefront of public consciousness. The “best interest rate”? Sure. But what about “the safest bank”? Follow Hamza Shaban on X @hshaban.
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