Decentralized DNS Project Handshake Patches Inflation Bug
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for c0lo:
Decentralized DNS Project Handshake Patches Inflation Bug - CoinDesk:
The team behind the decentralized Domain Name Server (DNS) project, Handshake, recently patched a bug which could have inflated the supply of HNS coins.
When it existed in Handshake's code, the bug was never exploited and no user funds or domain data were compromised, Handshake's developers write in a post.
"A flaw was discovered in the Handshake protocol that could unintentionally increase the total HNS coin supply beyond its designed limits," the post reads. "A user with a reserved name claim could have accidentally generated small amounts of extra HNS by modifying their wallet. In the worst-case scenario, a malicious miner could generate nearly unlimited extra HNS in every block. The bug was never exploited and is now fixed."
The team advises miners and node operators to update to the newest version asap.
Handshake is "An experimental peer-to-peer root naming system." The "About Handshake" section of their web page says that "Handshake is a decentralized, permissionless naming protocol where every peer is validating and in charge of managing the root DNS naming zone with the goal of creating an alternative to existing Certificate Authorities and naming systems. "
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