Bitcoin TLDR

#81

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Summary

May 19 - May 25, 2025

Our weekly newsletter is focused on keeping you updated on what's new in Bitcoin, and summarizes the bitcoin-dev, lightning-dev and delving bitcoin mailing lists

Recent discussions in the cryptographic and Bitcoin communities have highlighted several key developments and challenges. Bas Westerbaan's exploration into "jpeg resistance" across various signature schemes reveals a spectrum of vulnerability, with traditional hash-based signatures lacking resistance, whereas RFC 8391 XMSS introduces enhancements to counteract manipulation attempts. This discourse underscores the complexity of ensuring digital signature security against sophisticated attacks, necessitating ongoing innovation in cryptographic practices (source).

Jonathan Voss and the Bitcoin community's debate over the network's use for non-monetary data transmission, particularly through Citrea's Clementine Bridge proposal, reflects the broader discussion on blockchain utility beyond financial transactions. The proposition of a configurable data blob relay service within the Bitcoin protocol suggests a pragmatic approach to balancing the original monetary purpose with emerging technological demands, aiming to ensure network efficiency and relevance (source).

In the realm of secure cryptocurrency wallets, the dialogue led by pithosian emphasizes the technical intricacies involved in generating airgapped wallets. The discussion sheds light on the critical importance of using alternative entropy sources and the role of specialized tools in enhancing security measures. This conversation mirrors the broader effort within the cryptocurrency development community to make advanced cryptographic tools more accessible while ensuring users are well-informed about security practices (source).

Lastly, the LN spec meeting's focus on the privacy implications of HTLC hold times illustrates the intricate balance between user experience and privacy within the Lightning Network. The discussion on encoding hold times and the potential for protocol changes to enforce privacy-preserving practices reveals the ongoing challenge of aligning network efficiency with the need for robust privacy measures (source).

Active Discussions

Relax OP_RETURN standardness restrictions

69 replies

By Antoine Poinsot

Involving Greg Maxwell, Peter Todd+22 others

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Original post on April 17, 2025 18:52 UTC

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Last reply on May 25, 2025 15:53 UTC

bitcoin-dev

  • Greg Maxwell discusses modifying Bitcoin's OP_RETURN limits, cautioning against complete removal.

  • He advocates for a balanced approach, proposing a 1 KB limit to foster innovation while preventing abuse.

  • The conversation highlights the need for flexible, future-proof standards in blockchain development.

Against Allowing Quantum Recovery of Bitcoin

12 replies

By conduition

Involving Jameson Lopp, Agustin Cruz+5 others

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Original post on March 16, 2025 14:15 UTC

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Last reply on May 28, 2025 21:15 UTC

bitcoin-dev

  • Quantum computing poses challenges for cryptocurrency, requiring decisive action from coin holders.

  • The discussion likens the decision to transfer to PQ addresses to the Ethereum split, emphasizing security.

  • It advocates for market-driven value of quantum-safe versus vulnerable coins, respecting holder choices.

Hashed keys are actually fully quantum secure

11 replies

By conduition

Involving Martin Habovštiak, Lloyd Fournier+3 others

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Original post on March 16, 2025 18:25 UTC

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Last reply on May 26, 2025 10:03 UTC

bitcoin-dev

  • The proposal enhances Bitcoin security against quantum attacks by pairing QR and pre-quantum outputs.

  • Suggested changes include QR signing and hiding commitments in transaction scripts or hashes.

  • This method aims to prevent quantum computing exploits by verifying the age and commitment of QR outputs.

BIP39 Extension for Manual Seed Phrase Creation

3 replies

By Eric Kvam

Involving Kyle Honeycutt, Russell OConnor

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Original post on May 23, 2025 11:25 UTC

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Last reply on May 24, 2025 12:33 UTC

bitcoin-dev

  • The proposal offers a 16-word seed phrase method for easier entropy creation without a checksum.

  • It suggests using a printed BIP39 wordlist and dice rolls for user-friendly seed generation.

  • Adoption barriers for newcomers are addressed by simplifying cryptographic concepts and processes.

Dust Expiry: Clean the UTXO set from spam

32 replies

By RobinLinus

Involving gmaxwell, ajtowns+8 others

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Original post on May 20, 2025 01:53 UTC

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Last reply on May 24, 2025 16:48 UTC

delvingbitcoin

  • The method identifies UTXOs by `block_height/TX_index/output_index` for easy management during reorgs.

  • A suggested improvement replaces expired UTXOs with a 20-byte hash to enhance efficiency and reduce spam.

  • Challenges arise with UTXOs expiring on one fork but spent on another, necessitating a restoration process.

Stats on compact block reconstructions

29 replies

By davidgumberg

Involving 0xB10C, ajtowns+8 others

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Original post on August 2, 2024 12:08 UTC

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Last reply on May 22, 2025 02:56 UTC

delvingbitcoin

  • Discussions focus on blockchain efficiency and privacy, optimizing `CMPCTBLOCK` transmissions.

  • Innovative methods, like separate mempools, proposed to safeguard transaction privacy.

  • Technical solutions explore TCP/IP nuances to enhance blockchain communication efficiency.

Perpetually KYC'd Coins Using Evil Covenants

16 replies

By light

Involving RobinLinus, recent798+6 others

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Original post on February 13, 2024 17:04 UTC

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Last reply on May 26, 2025 05:12 UTC

delvingbitcoin

  • KYC protocols alone can't prevent misuse or halt stolen funds' movement in digital currencies.

  • Traditional financial experiences highlight KYC's limitations without additional security measures like transaction limits.

  • Despite PKI management success, deploying CBDCs raises concerns about misuse and privacy under authoritarian regimes.

A simple backup scheme for wallet accounts

14 replies

By salvatoshi

Involving josh, kloaec+4 others

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Original post on April 16, 2025 13:52 UTC

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Last reply on May 25, 2025 23:34 UTC

delvingbitcoin

  • The email proposes a backup scheme for public keys, contrasting with secret-focused strategies.

  • It emphasizes the importance of accessible public keys for digital asset management security.

  • The discussion highlights an underexplored area in cryptographic security, advocating for robust public key backups.

Best-(Worst-)Case MEVil Response

9 replies

By sjors

Involving MattCorallo, ajtowns+4 others

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Original post on February 20, 2025 16:08 UTC

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Last reply on May 21, 2025 13:55 UTC

delvingbitcoin

  • Heuristic value in physics helps understand Miner Extractable Value (MEV) and its strategic implications.

  • Operational challenges for Bitcoin miners include the necessity for devops expertise to manage risks.

  • Advanced opcodes may require significant resources, prompting further exploration of their impact on MEV.

Fee-Based Spam Prevention For Lightning

9 replies

By JohnLaw

Involving harding, ClaraShk

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Original post on March 14, 2025 23:58 UTC

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Last reply on May 22, 2025 21:20 UTC

delvingbitcoin

  • The paper now includes a numerical example to enhance subject matter understanding.

  • Tables have been reformatted for better readability and comprehension.

  • The updated version is available on GitHub, highlighting advancements in spam prevention techniques.

Spanning-forest cluster linearization

8 replies

By sipa

Involving gmaxwell

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Original post on February 5, 2025 01:08 UTC

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Last reply on May 24, 2025 00:56 UTC

delvingbitcoin

  • A new algorithm partitions equal-feerate transactions in Bitcoin Core through subtle rate adjustments.

  • Adjusting transaction fee rates influences their placement, aiding in effective chunk splitting.

  • This method, now part of Bitcoin Core ([PR #32545](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/32545)), enhances transaction processing efficiency.

Behind the OP_RETURN Drama

7 replies

By gmaxwell

Involving 1440000bytes, FernandoTheKoala+2 others

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Original post on May 2, 2025 08:33 UTC

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Last reply on May 24, 2025 13:52 UTC

delvingbitcoin

  • Bitcoin's narrative struggles with perception, misrepresentation, and public narrative challenges.

  • Developers face unfounded accusations, impacting their ability to counter false narratives effectively.

  • Genuine dedication among Bitcoin developers contrasts sharply with opportunistic "monetary maxis."

Avoiding xpub+derivation reuse across wallets, in a UX-friendly manner

6 replies

By sjors

Involving kloaec, benk10+1 other

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Original post on April 29, 2025 17:54 UTC

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Last reply on May 19, 2025 16:02 UTC

delvingbitcoin

  • The proposed backup scheme uses UNIX time for easy wallet date identification.

  • Privacy risks emerge from co-signers accessing user's xpub, enabling brute force attacks.

  • Mitigation involves users selecting unique account numbers, balancing convenience and security.

On the possibility of evil covenants and implications for soft fork proposals

5 replies

By gmaxwell

Involving jamesob, 1440000bytes+1 other

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Original post on May 17, 2025 21:36 UTC

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Last reply on May 23, 2025 17:25 UTC

delvingbitcoin

  • The programming community regrets "covenant" misuse, fostering fear rather than understanding.

  • Arbitrary covenants in programming reveal the dilemma of balancing abuse prevention with freedom.

  • Discussions critique speculative tech uses, advocating for innovations grounded in real-world applications.

Evolving the Ark protocol using CTV and CSFS

5 replies

By neha

Involving stevenroose, instagibbs+2 others

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Original post on April 15, 2025 11:54 UTC

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Last reply on May 21, 2025 06:26 UTC

delvingbitcoin

  • Neha Narula's blog analyzes Ark's benefits over technologies like Lightning, focusing on CTV and CSFS.

  • Ark offers enhanced security and scalability for blockchain transactions through its innovative integration.

  • The blog invites readers for an in-depth view of Ark's technology on Neha Narula's website.

OP_RETURN limits: Pros and Cons

5 replies

By 1440000bytes

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Original post on May 1, 2025 09:21 UTC

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Last reply on May 19, 2025 15:05 UTC

delvingbitcoin

  • A groundbreaking paper discusses blockchain technology and the rise of 'Lex Cryptographia'.

  • It highlights blockchain's potential in revolutionizing finance, healthcare, and governance through decentralization.

  • The paper analyses blockchain's technical and societal impacts, emphasizing its transformative capabilities and challenges.

The Spam problem of Bitcoin and Unpermissioned Broadcast Networks in general

4 replies

By moonsettler

Involving garlonicon, gmaxwell

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Original post on May 13, 2025 13:24 UTC

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Last reply on May 22, 2025 11:40 UTC

delvingbitcoin

  • The concept of "layer-0" in technology is widely debated, with varying interpretations.

  • One viewpoint suggests the internet should be considered the foundational "layer-0."

  • Recognizing the internet as such simplifies the framework and highlights its base role in technology advancements.

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