Are Bitcoin Ordinals A Bug?

A Bitcoin Core developer recently highlighted a significant vulnerability in the system, suggesting that a bug fix could prevent the exploitation causing network congestion.

This vulnerability is allegedly being used by Bitcoin Ordinals to bypass data size limits and create a potential threat to the network.

Blockchain Exploitation Unveiled

Developer Luke Dashjr revealed in a social media post that inscriptions, employed by Ordinals and BRC-20 creators to embed data on satoshis, exploit a Bitcoin Core vulnerability, effectively spamming the blockchain.

While the Bitcoin Core code has allowed users to set transaction data size limits since 2013, inscriptions manage to bypass this restriction by obfuscating data as program code.

The recent bug fix addressing this vulnerability is found in the latest update to Bitcoin Knots, a Bitcoin Core derivative. Bitcoin Knots includes less tested or untested features backported from the core code, making it crucial for resolving potential threats to the network.

Potential Impact on Ordinals and BRC-20 Tokens

Responding to a user query about the fate of Ordinals and BRC-20 tokens if the vulnerability is fixed, Dashjr affirmed that it would indeed halt their occurrence.

However, existing inscriptions would persist. He expressed hope for the vulnerability to be resolved in the upcoming v27 release, emphasizing the urgency to address this issue.

Decentralized Mining Protocol Addresses Vulnerability

Decentralized mining protocol Ocean, where Dashjr serves as CTO, declared that the Bitcoin Knots upgrade rectifies a longstanding vulnerability exploited by spammers.

This update is expected to result in more authentic transactions within Ocean's blocks, countering the impact of Ordinals inscriptions considered a potential denial-of-service attack on the Bitcoin network.

Controversy Surrounding Ordinals

Dashjr vehemently opposes Ordinals inscriptions, labeling them as an ongoing attack on Bitcoin. He expressed concern about the substantial and irreversible damage he believes Ordinals are causing to both current and future Bitcoin users.

Origins of Ordinals Protocol

The Ordinals protocol, introduced in January 2023 by Casey Rodarmor, enables users to inscribe data and non-fungible tokens onto satoshis, the smallest denomination of Bitcoin.