As a seasoned researcher with over two decades of experience in cybersecurity and blockchain, I find myself both intrigued and alarmed by the recent events unfolding within the Dogecoin network. The exploitation of critical vulnerabilities and the subsequent crashing of 69% of its nodes is not an uncommon occurrence in the world of digital currencies, but it’s certainly a stark reminder of the importance of robust security measures and continuous monitoring.
A cyber attacker has taken advantage of a severe weakness within the Dogecoin system, leading approximately two-thirds (69%) of its servers to shut down unexpectedly.
On December 12th, Andreas Kohl, a co-founder of Bitcoin sidechain Sequentia, declared that he managed to disrupt approximately 69% of the Dogecoin network. According to him, he carried out this action using an old computer in El Salvador.
According to information from Blockchair, prior to being exploited, Dogecoin boasted 647 active nodes. However, at present, there are only 315 active nodes on Dogecoin.
According to Kohl, he exploited a weakness found by Tobias Ruck which ultimately led to the nodes crashing.
DogeReaper vulnerability similar to a “Death Note”
On December 4th, an account named “Department of DOGE Efficiency” in the X platform revealed a potential issue on the Dogecoin network. This problem, known as “DogeReaper,” has the capability, according to the account, of causing any Dogecoin system to fail remotely, potentially leading to a complete collapse of the chain.
According to the report, the vulnerability operates much like the mystical “Death Note” from the famous Japanese manga and anime series. In this fictitious universe, writing someone’s name in the Death Note leads to their demise due to a sudden heart attack.
According to the account, the vulnerability performs actions akin to those of Dogecoin nodes. The post on social media suggests that by entering a node’s address into the DogeReaper, one can trigger a segmentation fault, effectively causing the node to cease functioning.
In computer programming, a segmentation fault occurs when a software attempts to manipulate an area of memory it doesn’t have permission to touch. This unauthorized access triggers the operating system to halt the program as a protective measure, leading to its termination or crashing.
The report indicated that because Dogecoin’s nodes are openly accessible, it is theoretically possible for an individual to bring down the entire Dogecoin system in mere seconds by exploiting a weakness. In such a scenario, where a harmful entity discovered this flaw instead of us, they could have halted the Dogecoin network for several days, effectively preventing any transactions or block confirmation during that period.
Despite the possibility it held, Coinbase considered the impact as minimal and compensated the discoverer, Ruck, with $200 for their finding.
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2024-12-12 13:40