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LND channel-close fix could leave older nodes vulnerable to full losses

CryptoSlate reports the issue is tied to LND versions below 0.21.0, with the official fix merged into master on Jan. 16, 2026.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Market Structure

LND, a Lightning Network node implementation, has disclosed a channel-close flaw that can put an entire channel balance at risk under a reproduced maximum-loss scenario, according to CryptoSlate.

The disclosure describes how a malicious channel peer could combine a one-block Bitcoin reorganization with an old, revoked commitment after a cooperative close. In that setup, operators on standard releases below 0.21.0 should treat their nodes as not having the official fix unless they were separately patched.

CryptoSlate reports that the attack requires more than a typical one-block reorganization. The malicious peer must participate in the cooperative close, wait for one confirmation, then benefit from a reorganization that removes the closing transaction, while also possessing and publishing an earlier revoked commitment so the node fails to broadcast penalty transactions.

CryptoSlate adds that upstream repository history places the official fix in version 0.21.0 rather than the 0.20.0 cutoff referenced in the public disclosure. A pull request merging into master on Jan. 16, 2026, later had a backport reverted, and documentation subsequently indicated the improved cooperative-close confirmation logic landed in 0.21.0, with the latest official package as of Aug. 25 listed as lnd v0.21.2-bet.

Latest closeBitcoin $78,412.16 ▼0.2%

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