Electrum patches bitcoin wallet flaw exploited by rogue servers
Electrum has patched a security flaw that allowed malicious servers to divert bitcoin payments when wallet users attempted to increase transaction fees, after developers confirmed at least one theft. The developers released version 4.8.3 on 24 October and urged users of earlier versions to upgrade. Their security advisory classified the vulnerability as high severity and said some servers had…
Electrum released version 4.8.3 of its bitcoin wallet on October 24 to address a security flaw that allowed rogue servers to manipulate transactions. The vulnerability, classified as high severity, enabled attackers to divert bitcoin payments by displaying fraudulent transactions as pending payments. Two users reported suspicious activity in October, with one losing funds after approving a higher transaction fee.
The flaw stemmed from Electrum's handling of unconfirmed transactions, which lacked proper signature verification. Attackers could exploit this by substituting fraudulent transactions with higher fees, which vulnerable wallet versions would accept. Users approved the replacement after seeing the forged transaction in their wallet.
The vulnerability combined a weakness in server-provided transaction information with a subsequent signing action by the wallet owner. Electrum's patch now verifies signatures of pending transactions before accepting them as genuine. The vulnerability did not require direct access to the user's private keys, as it exploited the wallet's transaction approval process.
Developers advised users to install the updated version and verify destination addresses and payment amounts before signing any transaction.
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