Lightning devs must ‘wake up’ and fix security bugs, not please VCs: Bitcoin dev

Antoine Riard, who left the Lightning Network in October, argues the Lightning Network is also at risk of becoming increasingly centralized and susceptible to single points of failure and censorship risks.

Developers working on the Bitcoin layer 2 Lightning Network have become less security-oriented and more focused on producing cash flow for their investors, argues a former Lightning Network developer.

Bitcoin core developer and security researcher Antoine Riard, made headlines last month after leaving the Lightning ecosystem over concerns about a new attack vector called “replacement cycling,” which exploiters could potentially use to steal funds by targeting payment channels.

At the time, Riard said the new class of attacks puts Lighting in a "perilous position" though some observers argued that 

Riard told Cointelegraph that he’s now working at the Bitcoin base layer to address the issue and urged Lightning developers to follow suit:

“[They need to] wake up, stop the sleepwalking and go to the whiteboard to design a robust and sustainable fix in hand with other developers at the base-layer, preserving the long-term decentralization and openness of Lightning.”

Riard also claimed that many Lightning-focused firms are compromising Lightning’s mission and security incentives for the sake of pleasing venture capitalists:

“The sad fact being most of them are working for VC-funded entities, or commercial entities with the same low-time preference, at the long-term detriment of end-users.”

Riard said it’s a classic example of the “tragedy of the commons” — where individuals and entities with access to a public resource act in their own interest and deplete it.

Decentralization appears to be a trade-off that these VC-funded Lightning firms are willing to make, which is a major concern to Riard.

“Centralized systems are great in the scale of efficiency, however they come with the downside of systemic single-point-of-failure and lower cost of user censorship, fundamental risks that one might wish to hedge against as a Bitcoiner.”

“I'm not sure this is an interesting Lightning future,” Riard said. In fact, it is something which he wants no part of, after departing from the Lightning ecosystem on Oct. 20:

“I do not wish to be associated with being in charge or accountable of the Lightning Network security, and the ~5,300 BTC exposed here. There is little [I and others] can do to halt the haemorrhage, without compromising the core values of censorship-resistance and permissionless of the Lightning Network.”

Related: Bitcoin Lightning Network growth jumps 1,200% in 2 years

The Lightning Network is the second-layer solution built over the Bitcoin blockchain. It is designed to improve the scalability and efficiency of Bitcoin

Through the Lightning Network, users can open payment channels, conduct multiple transactions off-chain, and settle the final result on the Bitcoin blockchain. The replacement cycling attack is a new type of attack that allows the attacker to steal funds from a channel participant by exploiting inconsistencies between individual mempools.

Cointelegraph reached out to Lightning Labs and other firms in the Lighting ecosystem but did not receive a response.

However, despite the security concerns and potential move toward centralization, Riard explained that Lightning hasn’t seen as many attacks as many Ethereum layer 2s because Lightning users typically only store a small amount of funds in their wallets at any given time.

A total of $194.1 million in BTC is locked in the Lightning Network, according to DeFiLlama.

Magazine: Should you ‘orange pill’ children? The case for Bitcoin kids books

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DeFi CEO Says ‘No One Cares’ to Deutsche Bank Entry into BTC Custody

Deutsche Bank to offer bitcoin custody solution for institutional clients. Cake Group CEO believes the move will not substantially increase capital inflow or attract new participants. Deutsche Bank’s Paul Maley projects the digital asset sector to grow to trillions of dollars. Julian Hosp, the CEO of DeFi business Cake Group, has shared a skeptical reaction to Deutsche Bank’s newly-launched bitcoin custody services for institutional clients. Responding to a post on X (Twitter) by Bitcoin Magazine announcing the bank’s new services, Hosp wrote “Sadly, no one cares”. In full, his response read, And guess what… sadly no one cares… because everyone in Germany can already buy #bitcoin either with an ETF (that has literally ZERO volume) or on an exchange. All these banks entering the space, are not bringing in extra money or people. They are just re-routing existing… https://t.co/MMZHSbGB9U — Dr. Julian Hosp (@julianhosp) September 15, 2023 T...
Read more

MATIC Price Plunges, Have the Bulls Finally Lost Control?

Image
MATIC witnessed a decline in bullish momentum and has lost hold of the $0.74 psychological support. Buying pressure was weak as the CMF hovered around the zero line. Traders might likely short/sell MATIC in the near term since the 50 EMA crossed over the 20 EMA. Polygon (MATIC) brief dip below $0.78 has turned out to be an event that has lasted a whopping five days. Over the last 24 hours, the altcoin had lost 2.32% of its value. But its last 30 days’ performance was controlled by the bulls where MATIC increased by 6.61%. Currently, the MATIC/USD 4-Hour chart shows that the altcoin was hovering around a tight support zone at $0.71. Due to decreased demand, MATIC’s buying strength has been cut off. This indicates bearish dominance around $0.72. For MATIC to regain bullish momentum, the price must rise above the $0.74 psychological level. But if selling pressure outweighs demand, then the recovery attempt could be quenched. Furthermore, bears have ...
Read more

Crypto Analyst: PEPE Will Outperform DOGE in Next Bull Cycle

Image
Miles Deutscher predicts PEPE will outperform DOGE in the next bull cycle. Deutscher noted that fewer PEPE holders are underwater compared to DOGE holders. PEPE has more multiples to reach its previous all-time high (ATH) compared to DOGE. PEPE will outperform DOGE in the next bull cycle, predicts Miles Deutscher, a renowned cryptocurrency analyst. In a Twitter post, Deutscher highlighted the reasons behind his prediction. I think $PEPE outperforms $DOGE next cycle. Why? • The Underwater Thesis: Less PEPE holders underwater vs DOGE, meaning less sell pressure on the way up + lower multiples to reach previous ATH (2.8x vs 12x). • People are more fatigued with the DOGE meme, Pepe feels fresher… — Miles Deutscher (@milesdeutscher) June 23, 2023 Deutscher’s first reason for supporting PEPE to outperform DOGE in the next cycle is what he called “The Underwater Thesis.” He noted fewer PEPE holders are “underwater” compared to DOGE holders. By that, he me...
Read more