Just-In: Solana Silently Patched A Critical Security Vulnerability

Solana contributors have revealed developments leading up to a major patch amid vulnerability. The initial patch which was done under confidentiality was disclosed to other public operators when a majority of the stake had been patched. Users shared mixed reactions with a majority lauding contributors for the quick response.

Solana Patch Prevents Vulnerability

Laine, a Solana node operator disclosed the anatomy of a patch on X (formerly Twitter). The public was informed of developments after a supermajority of the stake was upgraded to protect the network. According to Laine, known members of the Foundation informed the team via private message on Aug 7. The message informed of the patch, the vulnerability the network faces, and the time and manner it will be expected to be applied. 

“The first message was received on Wednesday, 7 August 2024 at 14:56 UTC, advising of an upcoming critical patch and sharing a hashed message confirming the date and unique identifier of the incident, the hash shared in this message was published by multiple prominent members of Anza, Jito and Solana Foundation on Twitter/X, Github and even Linkedin in order to confirm the veracity of the message.”

Sequel to this, other operators reached out and stressed the need for confidentiality and urgency. On Aug 8, the patch occurred after several messages containing instructions and verification of patch files. The public was informed once 70% was patched as it was judged safe to disclose the developments and vulnerability. Other operators were also charged to upgrade in line with the patch. 

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Users’ Mixed Reaction to Contributors’ Approach

The silent patch of Solana has led to divided views although the majority feel it was the right decision to avoid a crypto hack. Kunal Goel, a researcher at Messari lauded the active community on X for acting quickly without any incidents. 

However, users raised eyebrows on the need for confidentiality from the onset. Laine explained that the patch exposed the vulnerability and a bad actor could try reverse engineering and halt the network. This could have led to a compromise leading to losses. 

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