Bitcoin Core developers disclosed a privacy bug in the -privatebroadcast feature introduced in version 31.0. The flaw, announced on June 6, can reveal a user's IP address when the software fails to establish an encrypted connection and falls back to an unencrypted one, bypassing Tor. Attackers can force this fallback by rejecting the encrypted handshake. The bug affects only users who enabled the feature; daily wallet transactions remain safe. Discovered by researcher Eugene Siegel, a fix will arrive in version 31.1. Until then, affected users should disable the feature or use Tor for all traffic. Bitcoin price remained stable near $63,700. This incident raises ongoing concerns about Bitcoin Core maintenance and privacy.

Key facts

• Privacy bug in Bitcoin Core 31.0's -privatebroadcast feature reveals user IP via Tor fallback.
• Attackers can force the fallback by rejecting encrypted connections, exposing IP address.
• Only users who enabled the feature are affected; normal transactions remain safe.
• Fix due in version 31.1; users advised to disable feature or use Tor for all traffic.
• Discovered by researcher Eugene Siegel; Bitcoin price unaffected near $63,700.

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