Share this article
Lightning Network Developers Warn of Bug That Could Cause Loss of Bitcoin
Developers disclosed a security hole in various versions of bitcoin's Lightning Network software that could cause users to lose money.
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 11:25 a.m. Published Sep 10, 2019, 9:15 p.m.
Developers have disclosed a security hole in various versions of bitcoin's Lightning Network software that could cause users to lose money if not updated.
The bug was first made public on Aug. 30 by bitcoin and Lighting developer Rusty Russel and confirmed Tuesday afternoon by Olaoluwa Osuntokun, CTO of startup Lightning Labs.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
It's unclear how much bitcoin, if any, was lost, or how many users were affected.
Multiple Lightning node versions are vulnerable and should be updated immediately, Osuntokun warned a developer mailing list, adding:
"We've confirmed instances of the CVE being exploited in the wild."
An experimental layer-two solution, Lightning aims to allow nearly costless transactions, making bitcoin feasible for mundane transactions such as coffee purchases.
But the bug shows the technology still has problems like any code-based financial product.
“Security issues have been found in various lightning projects which could cause loss of funds,” Russel said in the original posting. “Full details will be released in 4 weeks (2019-09-27), please upgrade well before then.”
Osuntokun emphasized that lightning is still in its infancy.
“We'd also like to remind the community that we still have limits in place on the network to mitigate widespread funds loss," he wrote, "and please keep that in mind when putting funds onto the network at this early stage.”
Lightning Labs continued the warning on Twitter, reminding users that it's still possible to lose funds on the network.
This is also a great time to remind folks that we have limits in place to mitigate widespread funds loss at this early stage. There will be bugs.
Don't put more money on Lightning than you're willing to lose!
— Lightning Labs⚡️ (@lightning) September 10, 2019
Versions affected include all LND releases 0.70 and below, C-Lightning 0.70 and below, and éclair 0.3 and below.
Olaoluwa Osuntokun image via CoinDesk archive
Más para ti
Lo que debes saber:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
Más para ti
Bitcoin’s Deep Correction Sets Stage for December Rebound, Says K33 Research
K33 Research says market fear is outweighing fundamentals as bitcoin nears key levels. December could offer an entry point for bold investors.
Lo que debes saber:
- K33 Research says bitcoin’s steep correction shows signs of bottoming, with December potentially marking a turning point.
- The firm has argued that the market is overreacting to long-term risks while ignoring near-term signals of strength, like low leverage and solid support levels.
- With likely policy shifts ahead and cautious positioning in futures, K33 sees more upside potential than risk of another major collapse.
Top Stories
