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XRP Ledger Foundation Patches Critical Security Vulnerability to Protect Fixed Supply

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XRPUSD$1.40 −0.49%

Developers behind XRP (BITSTAMP:XRPUSD) issued an emergency software patch on Sept. 25 to address a severe security flaw in the payment engine that had existed since 2015. Security firm Veria Labs identified the vulnerability, which could have allowed malicious actors to bypass the asset's total supply limit and mint trillions of new tokens.

The XRP Ledger Foundation bypassed the network's standard two-week voting window, explaining that a lengthy public approval process could have allowed attackers to discover and exploit the flaw. Foundation leaders confirmed that no unauthorized tokens were ever created on the public ledger, and ongoing community checks verified that the total token supply remains intact.

Investors and network participants will monitor validator adoption of the updated software and watch for further details regarding governance procedures during emergency security responses. XRP traded slightly higher following the clarification, edging up 0.24% to $1.412.

Key points

  • Security researchers discovered a flaw in the XRP payment engine that had been present since 2015.
  • The bug could have permitted the creation of up to 18.45 trillion unauthorized tokens in one transaction.
  • Developers released emergency software updates on Sept. 25 without waiting for the standard two-week voting period.
  • Public ledger monitoring confirmed that no unauthorized XRP was ever minted on the main network.

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Questions and answers

Was any fake XRP minted during the security bug?

No unauthorized XRP was ever created or minted. Ledger data and supply monitoring confirm that all balances remained secure and accurate.

What was the XRP Ledger security flaw?

A flaw in the payment engine present since 2015 could have allowed an attacker to bypass the supply limit and mint up to 18.45 trillion XRP.

Why did developers skip the standard voting process for the patch?

Waiting for the typical two-week voting period would have exposed the flaw publicly, giving potential attackers time to exploit the network.