- Luke Dashjr, a Bitcoin Core developer, revealed that a vulnerability in Bitcoin Core was being exploited by Inscriptions.
- Inscriptions bypassed a pre-set limit by disguising their data as program code, presenting a significant security concern.
- Despite concerns, Dashjr expressed optimism, stating that the news was “actually good for everyone.”
Bitcoin Core developer Luke Dashjr alerted the Bitcoin community in a public service announcement about a vulnerability in Bitcoin Core related to inscriptions. He claimed that after fixing the vulnerability, Bitcoin Ordinals and BRC-20 would no longer exist.
Dashjr said that Bitcoin Core, since 2013, has allowed users to limit the size of extra data in transactions. This feature allows users to set a limit to control the amount of additional data that can be included in the transactions they relay or mine. The limit is controlled by (-datacarriersize) parameters.
Inscriptions can bypass the previously mentioned limitation by “obfuscating their data as program code,” said the developer. Dashjr added that this bug was recently fixed in Bitcoin Knots version 25.1. There was a delay in fixing the vulnerability; however, the developer clarified that Bitcoin Core would still be vulnerable in the upcoming v26 release, and he hoped that the vulnerability would be fixed before the v27 release next year.
The developer’s statement raised a lot of questions, and members of the Bitcoin community shared their questions with Dashjr. A user on X questioned what would happen to Bitcoin ordinals and the BRC-20 token if the vulnerability was fixed. The Bitcoin Core developer stated that Ordinals and BRC-20 will no longer exist.
Furthermore, Dashjr stated that the Ordinals “never existed to begin with. It’s all fraud.” He added that the exploit was a spam attack on the Inscriptions. Nevertheless, according to the developer, despite the fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD), the news was “actually good for everyone.”
“Honest miners who care about Bitcoin will be happy. Non-mining nodes can of course use Knots too, but only collectively will it have an impact beyond your node,” the developer responded to a question regarding the ability of non-mining nodes to decide.
Dashjr clarified that the vulnerability is primarily a technical concern with the blockchain’s efficiency and integrity. Yet, for Bitcoin holders, this technical concern could indirectly impact the security and value of their holdings, according to the developer.
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