Ethereum Geth client has a serious vulnerability, and forks appear again

Recently, the Ethereum (ETH) chain has undergone a fourth hard fork to solve the problem of network attacks. However, unexpectedly, a serious vulnerability appeared in its Geth client, causing the ETH blockchain to fork at block 2686351. Currently, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has issued an emergency response notice.

The following is the translation:

Security Alerts

Affected clients: Geth

Severity: High

Summary: It has been determined that there is a problem with the logging mechanism of the Geth client. This caused the network to fork at block 2686351 (UTC time November 24, 2016 14:12:07). The new version 1.5.3 of the Geth client fixes the logging problem and fixes the fork.

Details: When a transaction results in the deletion of an empty account, a gas anomaly eventually occurs, preventing Geth from recovering the missing empty account. Additionally, another issue was discovered in the Parity client; the new Geth client will match Parity in behavior, and empty accounts will no longer be a general source of concern once the state cleanup process is complete, in about a week.

The forked chain created by the old Geth client at block 2686351 is considered invalid by both the Parity client and the newly released Geth client. It seems to have been abandoned at block 2686516, which means that the 165 blocks mined on the forked chain will be considered invalid. Transactions are broadcasted over the network, so most transactions may exist on the old Geth chain and the current chain. Although mining rewards and transaction fees on the old Geth chain will be lost.

The latest version of the geth client will update the blockchain from the fork point, even if it has synced past the fork point.

Solution: Geth client version 1.5.3

If you are using Geth: Please download the latest version of the client: https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/releases/tag/v1.5.3

If you are using Mist: Please restart Mist and the automatic update function, and the client will prompt you to update.

If you don't update, be aware that you will be on an invalid chain which is not supported.

We continue to recommend that exchanges and other high net worth users run multiple clients and automatically halt operations or otherwise enter safe mode if they are out of sync for more than 10 blocks.

The Ethereum web and mobile apps allow you to store Ether or conduct transactions that are run by a third-party network or Ethereum provider (Third-Party Provider). Third-Party Providers run their own Ethereum client infrastructure to facilitate their services. Generally, if you are using a third-party client, such as MetaMask, Jaxx, and MyEtherWallet, you do not need to do anything. However, they may issue a warning, and you should communicate with your third-party provider to see if they would recommend the relevant actions to their own users.

Disclaimer

This is an emerging and evolving highly technical field. If you choose to participate, you should be aware of how many risks there are, including the risk of unexpected vulnerabilities and other technical complications that may cause you to lose your Ether and other consequences. In addition, if you do not update to Geth 1.5.3, you will be on an unsupported network. By choosing to use the Ethereum platform, you assume the risks of this emerging platform.