Crypto Researcher Hasu Flags Attack That Could Bring ‘Purge’-Style Mayhem to Bitcoin

Pseudonymous researcher Hasu has discovered a new twist on a well-known potential attack on the bitcoin network.co

The researcher posted a description of the attack, which he named “Purge” after the B-movie franchise, to the bitcoin developer email list last week. It’s a variation on the so-called sabotage attack, in which malicious miners try to wreak havoc on bitcoin for its own sake, rather than for profit.

“Purge attacks probably don’t constitute a bigger risk than other known forms of sabotage attacks, but seem like an interesting spin,” he wrote.

In the dystopia of the “Purge” films, the U.S. government legalizes all crime for one night every year to unleash a sort of national catharsis. Hasu said he chose the name “because the attacker doesn’t (primarily) steal money himself, he makes theft legal in the network for a short period of time.”

In short, the attack opens the possibility that in very particular circumstances some users could spend their bitcoins more than once,…