Bitcoin Core fast-tracks security fixes as 44% of sampled nodes run unsupported versions

Bitcoin Core merged a rule change on Oct. 22 that opens a faster lane for vulnerability fixes: a flaw judged easy for attackers to find again can now be patched across every maintained release line at once, with an advisory published as each fix lands. The change comes as a network snapshot from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) shows 43.6% of sampled public Bitcoin Core peers running versions that no longer receive patches. Under the new rule, developers can classify a flaw at triage, judging how readily it can be turned up again, including with the help of large language models. Bitcoin Core developer Antoine Poinsot announced the change on the bitcoindev mailing list in the merged pull request updating the project’s security policy.

First reported by InsideBitcoins. This page is a short excerpt; the full text is theirs.