Lightning Network Developer States Disclosed Vulnerability Is Not an ‘Intentional Backdoor,’ Calls for Responsible Journalism

Antoine Riard, a information researcher and developer who exposed a vulnerability successful the Lightning Network, Bitcoin’s scaling layer, has clarified this vulnerability is not an “intentional backdoor,” addressing statements made connected societal media. Riard stressed the occupation had been known since 2022 and called connected mainstream outlets to bash liable reporting connected this issue.

Lightning Network Developer Clarifies Exposed Vulnerability Is No ‘Intentional Backdoor’

Antoine Riard, a information researcher and developer who precocious exposed a vulnerability successful Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, a scaling layer, clarified respective points connected the issue. In an email, Riard blasted societal media reports that called the vulnerability an “intentional backdoor,” explaining the concern has been known successful immoderate circles since 2022.

Riard stated:

The information flaws are not ‘intentional backdoor’ oregon immoderate misrepresentation that would question the competence and know-how of the Bitcoin and Lightning improvement community.

While helium acknowledged that the mitigations already successful spot service to harden the ecosystem against what helium called “simple” oregon “medium attacks” and that much blase attacks would impact mentation and capable P2P (peer-to-peer) and mempool knowledge, Riard stressed that changes astatine the bitcoin basal furniture mightiness beryllium the astir “substantial” hole to this problem.

Responsible Journalism and Social Media Battles

In addition, Riard called for mainstream crypto sites and idiosyncratic journalists to bash liable reporting connected the issue, fixed the quality of existent media distribution.

On this issue, Riard detailed:

If you’re a writer reporting connected the accusation successful mainstream crypto publications, I’ll suggest waiting to bash truthful earlier adept reporters of bitcoin circles who person much in-field cognition tin bash truthful and suffice the method concern with much distance.

Riard besides stated that helium was not connected immoderate societal media app owed to the “nature of the physics connection and contemporaneous media,” which allows the propagation of delicate accusation wherever “mitigations are inactive successful deployment.” He concluded by stating that he’ll further remark connected this contented if the accusation travel keeps hampering the quality of the assemblage to sermon the fixes for this contented successful a “responsible and constructive fashion.”

Many person started to knock — and enactment — the feasibility of the changes needed to hole the Lightning Network. Samourai Wallet, a privacy-focused BTC wallet, declared that “the lone alteration required to the basal furniture should beryllium to permanently and irrevocably nonstop the lightning web to the dustbin of past wherever it belongs.”

On the different hand, Jameson Lopp, co-founder and CTO of Casa, invited radical to instrumentality vantage of this vulnerability. “If folks are truthful definite astir the severity of a weakness, they’re escaped to exploit it! Go on, enrich yourselves, my node is waiting!” helium added.

What bash you deliberation astir the buzz awakened by the precocious disclosed Lightning Network vulnerability? Tell america successful the comments conception below.