A bug in Core Lightning, node software that payment servers use on the Lightning Network, can leave a node crashing again and again after a single malformed network message, according to a report from Crypto Insiders based on a technical disclosure.
Versions 25.02 through 26.04 are affected. The flaw involves a channel announcement that makes a channel appear to have two ends pointing to the same computer. The software accepts and stores the message, then crashes when it tries to pass the update on to the network. Because the stored message is read again at every startup, the node fails after each restart. The disclosure says an attacker could spread the message across the network without connecting directly to a vulnerable server. The bug was found by researcher Nishant Bansal.
Core Lightning 26.04.1 rejects new malicious messages before they are written to disk. It does not remove one that is already stored, so affected operators must delete the relevant line from the gossip_store file by hand and then install the latest version. Regular wallet users do not need to change any settings.
The risk is practical rather than abstract. A node that stays offline can miss obligations in open payment channels, and some disputes carry deadlines on the Bitcoin blockchain, so a missed response can lead to lost funds. The report cites no evidence that the bug has been exploited at scale.
Operators running a vulnerable version should update and check their gossip store.
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