Bitcoin and Litecoin Put Bounty on Mac Bug

The core developers behind bitcoin and litecoin are offering a reward of 10 BTC, plus 200.2 LTC to anyone who can solve the bug currently plaguing wallets on Mac-based systems.

The issue is linked to the database on wallet software known as the LevelDB key store. This database is used to store information related to the block chain, a ledger for virtual currencies and a standard component of natively installed Bitcoin-Qt wallets.

Hosted wallets, which are generally web-based or mobile-based and work on multiple platforms, are more user-friendly and do not suffer from this issue.

Bitcoin and litecoin developer Warren Togami recently told ZDNet:

"Bounties of this type are rarely offered. In this case, it is happening due to the sense that the issue is critical enough to slow down adoption of bitcoin."

With the valuation of bitcoin ever-rising, a bitcoin and litecoin bounty will raise the stakes, according to Ankur Nandwani, a developer who has built an open bitcoin microtransaction platform called BitMonet.

"It is interesting that with the rapid rise in [bitcoin and litecoin] price, the bounty is now worth $15k. I think the combination of this bug and the volatility in bitcoin price can have negative impact on bitcoin adoption," he said.

In detail, LevelDB is a key/value system developed by Google. It is not a relational database; rather, it has been designed as a string-keys-to-string-values database. The problem at hand is the periodic corruption of this database on Mac OS X.

It seems corruption occurs after the Bitcoin-Qt client is shut down and restarted. Reports indicate that corruption occurs in the Mac OS X 10.8.x and 10.9 versions, commonly known as 'Mountain Lion' and 'Mavericks'.

In the grand scheme of things, this is not a problem that could thwart the growing rise of these separate, but seemingly intertwined, virtual currencies. However, this could prove to be an issue for many individual users. Nandwani commented:

"While the database is being rebuilt, the user is blocked from even making a transaction. So, you could think of this being a denial-of-service attack."

A cog in the the machine of these distributed monetary systems could pose a threat that should not be dismissed.

Namecoin, a competitor to bitcoin and litecoin, had a substantial security flaw that allowed people to perform a hostile takeover of its .bit domains.

There is a proposed solution to the problem, with test builds available. The problem appears to have to do with a particular process that runs, and if data is synced to disk before the operation, it addresses the issue.

The complete details of the Mac OS X bitcoin and litecoin wallet bounty are posted at the Bitcoin Talk forum.

Development image via Shutterstock

DISCLOSURE

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.

Daniel Cawrey

Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.

10 BTC Reward Offered for Fix of Bitcoin Wallet Bug on Macs

Core developers behind bitcoin and litecoin are offering a reward for the solution to a bug plaguing Mac-based systems.