5 months ago
Crypto Community Smug About Global IT Outage, But Does Blockchain Actually Fix This?
A software bug invoked international hysteria when a bug in a Windows content update shut down banks, airlines, and emergency services.
Showcasing the world’s reliance on centralized systems, a global IT outage brought the world to its knees. Across the planet, major service providers like banks, supermarkets, and logistics companies found themselves unable to operate, causing significant disruption.
Eager to prove its relevance, the crypto community was quick to launch a tirade of smug comments. “Crypto fixes this” was heard across social media platforms, with crypto advocates championing blockchain as an obvious solution to singular points of failure.
But is that truly the case? While decentralization aims to eliminate centralized points of failure, would blockchain solutions actually have prevented this widespread technical meltdown?
What Happened?
The chaos began when CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity provider, pushed a defective single content update to Windows hosts. The bug affected millions of Microsoft Windows devices all over the world, causing infinite reboot loops and leaving users staring at Windows’ infamous BSoD (Blue Screen of Death).
Attempting to bring clarity to the situation CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz, released a statement on 𝕏. Assuring affected users that “this is not a security incident or cyberhack”, the CEO claims that “the issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed”.
While Kurtz has indicated that a fix has been deployed, Windows users globally report still being unable to access their devices.
Fortunately, savvy developers were on hand to remedy the situation and provide timely solutions.
Affected users can reboot their Windows devices in Safe Mode and delete the defective update file, or wait until CrowdStrike implemented resolution is distributed.
CRWD stock
In traditional markets, CrowdStrike stock (CRWD) suffered a crippling blow, down 8.82% in today’s trading, based on NASDAQ data. While this might seem insignificant when compared to crypto’s volatility, price movements of this scale are uncommon in traditional markets.
Does Crypto Really Fix This?
The crypto community wasted no time calling out the flaws of centralized systems and singular points of failure. Citing mass outages like today’s as evidence that decentralized systems are the future of infrastructure, crypto advocates were quick to leverage the event as an example of “Bitcoin fixes this”.
However, not all pockets of the crypto community were in agreement. Several blockchain developers and engineers highlighted that in this specific example, pushing bugged code to production would likely have the same effect to blockchain networks.
Despite the specifics and technicalities, the event serves as a powerful reminder of the flaws in centralized services and singular points of failure. Commentators remarked that society’s reliance on centralized companies and infrastructure providers doesn’t bode well for our future.
This belief reinforces the viability of DePin technology, which aims to distribute services across a variety of independent providers and establish more secure and reliable infrastructure. Frank Mathis, founder of GenesysGo, highlights the importance of conducting rigorous security checks before pushing software updates.
Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology may not have been a direct solution to this particular problem. However, global outages like the CrowdStrike defect help to promote discussion around the benefits of decentralization and distributed systems.
A software bug invoked international hysteria when a bug in a Windows content update shut down banks, airlines, and emergency services.
Showcasing the world’s reliance on centralized systems, a global IT outage brought the world to its knees. Across the planet, major service providers like banks, supermarkets, and logistics companies found themselves unable to operate, causing significant disruption.
Eager to prove its relevance, the crypto community was quick to launch a tirade of smug comments. “Crypto fixes this” was heard across social media platforms, with crypto advocates championing blockchain as an obvious solution to singular points of failure.
But is that truly the case? While decentralization aims to eliminate centralized points of failure, would blockchain solutions actually have prevented this widespread technical meltdown?
What Happened?
The chaos began when CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity provider, pushed a defective single content update to Windows hosts. The bug affected millions of Microsoft Windows devices all over the world, causing infinite reboot loops and leaving users staring at Windows’ infamous BSoD (Blue Screen of Death).
Attempting to bring clarity to the situation CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz, released a statement on 𝕏. Assuring affected users that “this is not a security incident or cyberhack”, the CEO claims that “the issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed”.
While Kurtz has indicated that a fix has been deployed, Windows users globally report still being unable to access their devices.
Fortunately, savvy developers were on hand to remedy the situation and provide timely solutions.
Affected users can reboot their Windows devices in Safe Mode and delete the defective update file, or wait until CrowdStrike implemented resolution is distributed.
CRWD stock
In traditional markets, CrowdStrike stock (CRWD) suffered a crippling blow, down 8.82% in today’s trading, based on NASDAQ data. While this might seem insignificant when compared to crypto’s volatility, price movements of this scale are uncommon in traditional markets.
Does Crypto Really Fix This?
The crypto community wasted no time calling out the flaws of centralized systems and singular points of failure. Citing mass outages like today’s as evidence that decentralized systems are the future of infrastructure, crypto advocates were quick to leverage the event as an example of “Bitcoin fixes this”.
However, not all pockets of the crypto community were in agreement. Several blockchain developers and engineers highlighted that in this specific example, pushing bugged code to production would likely have the same effect to blockchain networks.
Despite the specifics and technicalities, the event serves as a powerful reminder of the flaws in centralized services and singular points of failure. Commentators remarked that society’s reliance on centralized companies and infrastructure providers doesn’t bode well for our future.
This belief reinforces the viability of DePin technology, which aims to distribute services across a variety of independent providers and establish more secure and reliable infrastructure. Frank Mathis, founder of GenesysGo, highlights the importance of conducting rigorous security checks before pushing software updates.
Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology may not have been a direct solution to this particular problem. However, global outages like the CrowdStrike defect help to promote discussion around the benefits of decentralization and distributed systems.
5 months ago
Daily Memecoin Recap - July 1
Interesting day overall, influencers continue to hop on the crypto bandwagon
These influencer coins usually have an initial run-up, but unless the influencer does something unique to keep attention, the coin will die out
Gummy Team Launches A New Token
$baked -> hit $100m , hyped launch, same team as $gummy
Stevewilldoit Launch
$hero -> hit $82m ,
- Steve has been in crypto for years, he's very trusted by fans which explains why his coin reached so high
Sexyy Red Launches a Token
$presi -> hit $13m , "President Red"
- After several weeks of teasing, SexyyRed314_ drops the CA
Mike O'Hearn x Giga
$giga -> $42m to $150m (3.57x),
- Mike was teasing as if he would launch his own coin
- Instead of launching his own token like most of these influencers, he partnered with an already existing one
Influencer Launches
$mommy -> hit $1 .5m, NSFW
$bt -> hit $2m , BenTodar launch
Fake Influencer Launches
$sean -> hit $500k , SeanKingston says launch is in 24h (no official launch yet)
- Watch out for BhadBhabie & dohertyjackk, both aiming to launch a token
Yu-Gi-Oh Memes
$bwd -> hit $1 .99m, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, good team
$dmg -> hit $770k , Dark Magician Girl
Billy Makes A New ATH
$billy -> $53 .5m to $98m (1.83x)
New Spike Token Dominates The Old One
$spike -> $23 .55m to $47 .5m (2x), good team, rumors that it's the same team as the OG one which got exploited
New Matt Furie Memecoin
$doggs -> hit $19m , 95% bundled
- The dog that kills pepe Matt_Furie
Cat Memes
$loops -> hit $460k
$sleepy -> hit $400k
Roaring Kitty Discloses Owning 6.6% of Chewy
$chwy -> $320k to $10m (31x)
$chwy -> $700k to $8m (11.4x)
More Cooks
$walter -> $1 .53m to $5 .5m (3.59x), AB84 posted a pic of walter and said "dog of the day"
$steve -> $275k to $1 .9m (6.5x)
$sherif -> hit $10m , KOLs onboard, insanely good liquidity to market cap ratio
$glizzy -> hit $4m
$pungu -> hit $2 .7m
$garf -> hit $2 .2m, good website & art
Stay locked in, opportunities are everywhere
New month, new profits 🤝
Interesting day overall, influencers continue to hop on the crypto bandwagon
These influencer coins usually have an initial run-up, but unless the influencer does something unique to keep attention, the coin will die out
Gummy Team Launches A New Token
$baked -> hit $100m , hyped launch, same team as $gummy
Stevewilldoit Launch
$hero -> hit $82m ,
- Steve has been in crypto for years, he's very trusted by fans which explains why his coin reached so high
Sexyy Red Launches a Token
$presi -> hit $13m , "President Red"
- After several weeks of teasing, SexyyRed314_ drops the CA
Mike O'Hearn x Giga
$giga -> $42m to $150m (3.57x),
- Mike was teasing as if he would launch his own coin
- Instead of launching his own token like most of these influencers, he partnered with an already existing one
Influencer Launches
$mommy -> hit $1 .5m, NSFW
$bt -> hit $2m , BenTodar launch
Fake Influencer Launches
$sean -> hit $500k , SeanKingston says launch is in 24h (no official launch yet)
- Watch out for BhadBhabie & dohertyjackk, both aiming to launch a token
Yu-Gi-Oh Memes
$bwd -> hit $1 .99m, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, good team
$dmg -> hit $770k , Dark Magician Girl
Billy Makes A New ATH
$billy -> $53 .5m to $98m (1.83x)
New Spike Token Dominates The Old One
$spike -> $23 .55m to $47 .5m (2x), good team, rumors that it's the same team as the OG one which got exploited
New Matt Furie Memecoin
$doggs -> hit $19m , 95% bundled
- The dog that kills pepe Matt_Furie
Cat Memes
$loops -> hit $460k
$sleepy -> hit $400k
Roaring Kitty Discloses Owning 6.6% of Chewy
$chwy -> $320k to $10m (31x)
$chwy -> $700k to $8m (11.4x)
More Cooks
$walter -> $1 .53m to $5 .5m (3.59x), AB84 posted a pic of walter and said "dog of the day"
$steve -> $275k to $1 .9m (6.5x)
$sherif -> hit $10m , KOLs onboard, insanely good liquidity to market cap ratio
$glizzy -> hit $4m
$pungu -> hit $2 .7m
$garf -> hit $2 .2m, good website & art
Stay locked in, opportunities are everywhere
New month, new profits 🤝
6 months ago
Is OP_CAT the missing piece for BTC L2s?
This opcode has everyone talking; what does it do?
A beginner's guide 👇
Bitcoin L2s are the talk of the town, but not much of their promise has been realized yet.
What are Bitcoin's builders waiting for?
One significant proposal could help mature the Bitcoin L2 landscape: the reintroduction of OP_CAT. This opcode, which was disabled early in Bitcoin's history, could unlock new capabilities and pave the way for more sophisticated and trustless Bitcoin L2 solutions.
Let's dig into why this opcode could be so transformative for BTC 👇
What is OP_CAT?
Okay, so why is this seemingly random opcode so controversial? OP_CAT, or "Operation Concatenate" is an opcode in Bitcoin's scripting language that allows for the concatenation of two data elements.
Initially proposed by Satoshi Nakamoto, OP_CAT was disabled in 2010 due to security concerns related to its original implementation, specifically potential denial-of-service (DoS) attacks caused by unbounded memory usage.
The introduction of the Taproot upgrade in 2021 has mitigated these original concerns. Taproot enforces a maximum stack element size of 520 bytes, addressing the memory usage issue that led to OP_CAT's deactivation. With this security improvement and resurgent Bitcoin development interest, thanks to Ordinals and Runes, a movement to reintroduce OP_CAT to enhance Bitcoin's scripting capabilities is gaining steam, aiming to put more complex transaction capabilities in reach.
Are Covenants and Smart Contracts Different?
One reason why OP_CAT is so compelling is because it can actualize covenants, i.e. spending conditions, on Bitcoin. Covenants and smart contracts are both mechanisms for controlling the flow of funds in a blockchain network, but they operate in distinct ways.
Covenants:
Purpose: Restrict how funds can be spent in future transactions.
Functionality: Implement specific spending constraints, such as limiting addresses or setting conditions on fund transfers.
Complexity: Generally involves simpler, deterministic logic without loops or complex computations.
Implementation: Can be implemented using Bitcoin Script with enhancements like OP_CAT.
Smart Contracts:
Purpose: Automate a wide range of processes and transactions.
Functionality: Handle complex tasks such as decentralized exchanges, token issuance, and multi-party agreements.
Complexity: Support complex conditional logic, including loops and intricate computations.
Implementation: Commonly implemented on platforms like Ethereum using high-level programming languages.
Why Does OP_CAT Matter for Bitcoin L2s?
OP_CAT would prove crucial for advancing Bitcoin L2 solutions because it enhances the scripting capabilities needed for more complex and trustless Bitcoin infra. First, OP_CAT allows for covenants, enabling the construction of more complex scripts. This is essential for creating advanced transaction conditions and functionalities required for L2 solutions.
Additionally, if OP_CAT is activated, projects like StarkWareLtdare on standby to develop atop it. StarkWare has plans to leverage OP_CAT for bringing zero-knowledge (ZK) scaling to #Bitcoin to enable advanced financial instruments and apps on the network. StarkWare’s involvement here underscores the broader ecosystem's readiness to capitalize on the enhanced capabilities that OP_CAT would introduce.
As such, as the community continues to explore and test the possibilities around this proposal, the future of Bitcoin L2s looks promising and ripe with potential. At this point, reactivating OP_CAT seems like a matter of when not if!
Written by
WPeaster
This opcode has everyone talking; what does it do?
A beginner's guide 👇
Bitcoin L2s are the talk of the town, but not much of their promise has been realized yet.
What are Bitcoin's builders waiting for?
One significant proposal could help mature the Bitcoin L2 landscape: the reintroduction of OP_CAT. This opcode, which was disabled early in Bitcoin's history, could unlock new capabilities and pave the way for more sophisticated and trustless Bitcoin L2 solutions.
Let's dig into why this opcode could be so transformative for BTC 👇
What is OP_CAT?
Okay, so why is this seemingly random opcode so controversial? OP_CAT, or "Operation Concatenate" is an opcode in Bitcoin's scripting language that allows for the concatenation of two data elements.
Initially proposed by Satoshi Nakamoto, OP_CAT was disabled in 2010 due to security concerns related to its original implementation, specifically potential denial-of-service (DoS) attacks caused by unbounded memory usage.
The introduction of the Taproot upgrade in 2021 has mitigated these original concerns. Taproot enforces a maximum stack element size of 520 bytes, addressing the memory usage issue that led to OP_CAT's deactivation. With this security improvement and resurgent Bitcoin development interest, thanks to Ordinals and Runes, a movement to reintroduce OP_CAT to enhance Bitcoin's scripting capabilities is gaining steam, aiming to put more complex transaction capabilities in reach.
Are Covenants and Smart Contracts Different?
One reason why OP_CAT is so compelling is because it can actualize covenants, i.e. spending conditions, on Bitcoin. Covenants and smart contracts are both mechanisms for controlling the flow of funds in a blockchain network, but they operate in distinct ways.
Covenants:
Purpose: Restrict how funds can be spent in future transactions.
Functionality: Implement specific spending constraints, such as limiting addresses or setting conditions on fund transfers.
Complexity: Generally involves simpler, deterministic logic without loops or complex computations.
Implementation: Can be implemented using Bitcoin Script with enhancements like OP_CAT.
Smart Contracts:
Purpose: Automate a wide range of processes and transactions.
Functionality: Handle complex tasks such as decentralized exchanges, token issuance, and multi-party agreements.
Complexity: Support complex conditional logic, including loops and intricate computations.
Implementation: Commonly implemented on platforms like Ethereum using high-level programming languages.
Why Does OP_CAT Matter for Bitcoin L2s?
OP_CAT would prove crucial for advancing Bitcoin L2 solutions because it enhances the scripting capabilities needed for more complex and trustless Bitcoin infra. First, OP_CAT allows for covenants, enabling the construction of more complex scripts. This is essential for creating advanced transaction conditions and functionalities required for L2 solutions.
Additionally, if OP_CAT is activated, projects like StarkWareLtdare on standby to develop atop it. StarkWare has plans to leverage OP_CAT for bringing zero-knowledge (ZK) scaling to #Bitcoin to enable advanced financial instruments and apps on the network. StarkWare’s involvement here underscores the broader ecosystem's readiness to capitalize on the enhanced capabilities that OP_CAT would introduce.
As such, as the community continues to explore and test the possibilities around this proposal, the future of Bitcoin L2s looks promising and ripe with potential. At this point, reactivating OP_CAT seems like a matter of when not if!
Written by
WPeaster
Sponsored by
Kitten Haimer
15 days ago
Kitten Haimer
Discover the World of Kitten Haimer
