Developer reveals 'biggest unsolvable Lightning attack vector'

Independent Bitcoin Lightning developer, Joost Jager, has outlined an exploit of the micro-payments network that could result in channels being compromised with very little effort and negligible cost.

If script kids would be interested, they could take down those shiny new 5 BTC #wumbo channels with negligible cost and no effort at all.

Jager specifies that the attack could be carried out on wumbo channels, which essentially allow larger transactions between mutually agreeing parties on the Lightning network.

A wumbo channel removes the limit to the total amount of Bitcoin that can be held in a regular Lightning channel - which is around $1,760 worth at today's prices.

Jager said the wumbo channels can be exploited because the channel cannot hold more than 483 hash and time-lock contracts at any time regardless of its capacity.

A single tiny channel takes double-digit amounts of Bitcoin out of business.

With wumbo channels a user can signal that they want to send more BTC than the regular limits and find a node that is willing to receive.

Wumbo channels are growing in adoption and Bitfinex has been the latest to announce support for them;.

Bitfinex brings the Wumbo channel support to its #LightningNodes, allowing you to deposit and withdraw large amounts of #Bitcoin quickly and cheaply⚡.

Find out all the possibilities that the Wumbo channels #LightningNetwork integration brings you⬇️https://t.