“Yes, we’ve developed an attack framework for the lightning network.”
The message from “bitPico” to CoinDesk confirmed what a lot of had study in a common chat group, that the pseudonymous user was flooding nodes operating the computer software with targeted traffic with an automated “attack toolkit.”
About precisely the same time, a handful of developers reported lightning nodes crashing, temporarily stopping them from sending payments making use of the technologies designed for more rapidly, cheaper bitcoin transactions.
The development comes as more and more users have began employing lightning network to send true payments – albeit with some bumps along the way – and just a couple weeks after Lightning Labs, one particular of numerous startups constructing open-source lightning implementations, was the initial to launch its solution into live beta.
The attacks had been a strange incident in that user funds were safe and money wasn’t being stolen. In fact, these, like bitPico, who are attacking the network might even be losing money.
One of the first to notice the attacks, Bitrefill developer Justin Camarena, was able to fix his company’s node – and easily.
I have to be honest. Inside a best globe, I’d not even be considering utilizing Bitcoin. I usually do not match the initial adopter profile (and the truth is, I am not a very first adopter. I most likely count as second and even third tier). With regards to investing, I would be far happier with an investment of bonds generating a protected four percent a year. I would be perfectly happy sitting in an workplace working towards a safe retirement, doing my greatest to provide worth to my employer. I would be perfectly happy trusting the institutions of our society, governmental and monetary, etc., to operate with high ethics inside the interests of the common public.