Bitcoin Core pulls v30 downloads over bug that can scrub Satoshi-era wallets

Developers have already admitted to a serious bug in Bitcoin Core Version 30 (v30), the highly controversial software update that runs approximately 4,000 of the network’s 24,600 reachable nodes.

Specifically, any such node operator who uses its built-in wallet software and didn’t back up their Berkeley DataBase (BDB) file prior to migration to v30, could have lost all their money.

The bug is also present in version 30.1, a supposedly more secure version with “various bug fixes and performance improvements” that failed to prevent this loss of funds threat vector.

Developers implore users to backup files and wait for version 30.2, which will include a bug patch.

In addition to putting early coiners with wallet.dat files at risk, developers also warn any users who enabled pruning, about a hard disk space-saving feature.

If a BDB wallet was “unloaded” while their node was conducting its pruning process, v30 and v30.1 software might delete the wallet entirely.

Non-backward compatible file erasure

Backward compatibility is a major concern in software updates, especially for widely used software like Bitcoin Core.

Although this particular bug wouldn’t have caused a fork of Bitcoin’s blockchain, it’s nonetheless backward incompatible insofar as not supporting the safe migration of user’s files — including private keys.

A disclosure from Bitcoin Core phrased the bug using veiled, technical jargon.

“Under rare circumstances, migrating a legacy (BDB) wallet can delete all wallet files on the same node,” it tweeted cryptically, without admitting to the plain English value of such legacy wallets which could hold hundreds of billions of dollars.

Even Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, could possess such wallet files.

The bug doesn’t affect node operators who store all private key data in hardware wallets.

Core v30 isn’t available for download

A few minutes later, a blog post clarified that Core developers had removed download binaries for v30 and v30.1 “out of an abundance of caution” while they work on v30.2.

Read more: Knots leader says Bitcoin Core v30 could host illegal adult content

Core v30 caused a minor civil war among developers who disagreed over easements to arbitrary data storage on Bitcoin’s blockchain.

It was heavily reviewed and delayed for weeks. Despite its inordinate amount of attention from technical contributors, it evidently launched with a serious bug.

Fans of Knots, a fork of Core software maintained by Luke Dashjr, quickly dogpiled into the comment section of the bug disclosure.

Knots, unlike v30, enforces a strict OP_RETURN filter to deter arbitrary data storage on full nodes’ mempools of pending transactions.

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