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Odaily News: Liquid Network announced that the emergency release Elements v23.3.4 is now live, with Functionary nodes having immediately begun upgrades. All Liquid node operators are advised to update accordingly. This release addresses a previously identified Proof validation cache vulnerability by strengthening the cache keys used for Range Proofs.Regarding network recovery, Blockstream stated that a recovery plan is still being formulated, expected to proceed in three phases: **resume block production while continuing to pause Peg operations; replay verified valid transactions; restore Peg operations after the network state is fully recovered and fund returns are confirmed.** Currently, the first two phases are being tested in parallel, and any phase will only advance once confirmed secure.Liquid Network stated that Elements v23.3.4 has undergone multiple rounds of internal and external reviews, with participants including the Bitcoin Red Team, Alpen Labs, and other teams. Meanwhile, Liquid Network reminds users to be wary of fake upgrade websites exploiting this incident for scams. Information should only be obtained through official Liquid Network and Blockstream channels, and users should never send funds to strangers or disclose private keys or seed phrases.
Liquid Network's official security incident report: On September 6, a vulnerability related to the range proof verification method in Liquid node caching within the open-source software Elements was exploited, resulting in the creation of approximately 4,000 LBTC tokens not backed by bitcoin reserves. The exploiter subsequently exchanged them for approximately 4,000 BTC via SideSwap and the Liquid standard Peg-out mechanism. Prior to the incident, Liquid's reserves stood at approximately 4,205 BTC. After the relevant Peg-out and other withdrawals completed before the network halt, reserves fell to 197 BTC.According to the official statement, the incident did not involve the compromise of Functionary nodes or private keys, and other issued assets on Liquid such as USDT were also unaffected by the vulnerability. The exploiter claimed to be a white hat security researcher and returned 3,400 BTC to the Liquid Federation Peg wallet on September 7. Approximately 598.5 BTC (about 15% of the funds involved) remain unrecovered, and Blockstream is in communication to recover the remaining assets.At present, the top priority is to recover the remaining funds and restore Liquid Network to normal operation as quickly and safely as possible. A fix for the vulnerability has been developed and is currently undergoing multiple rounds of internal and external review. Blockstream is preparing to urgently release Elements v23.3.4, which is expected to be rolled out as soon as preparations are complete, with a target launch within approximately 48 hours. Following the software update, Liquid Network Functionary operators will make further adjustments to restore full network functionality and resume a corrected network state, including rejecting previously invalid Peg-outs.