when will bitcoin-qt 0.8.x not be compatible with the new versions

[Sydboy]

i still use bitcoin-qt 0.8.x
i was wondering if i MUST upgrade in the near future to be compatible with the rest of the network.

is their an end date when everyone needs to be using 0.9.x or will 0.8.x last me for a good while ?
i just prefer the layout of 0.8.x before anyone asks why i do not upgrade =)
and yeah i no it might be vulnerable to heartbleed but i do not use rpc which i believe would make me not vulnerable ?

thanks happy people!

[bitsta]

i still use bitcoin-qt 0.8.x
i was wondering if i MUST upgrade in the near future to be compatible with the rest of the network.

is their an end date when everyone needs to be using 0.9.x or will 0.8.x last me for a good while ?
i just prefer the layout of 0.8.x before anyone asks why i do not upgrade =)
and yeah i no it might be vulnerable to heartbleed but i do not use rpc which i believe would make me not vulnerable ?

thanks happy people!

your client will be dropped from the network once the actual version gets a new minimum protocol version.
the actual min protocol version is: 209.  this is hardcoded into version.h (https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/master/src/version.h#L35).

so lets say you have a client with protocol version 210. the actual p2p network will accept your node as the min. protocol version is 209.

now let s say that the min. protocol version gets updated to 211 for some reason.
your client will now be disconnected from all updated clients as thy won't accept your minimum protocol version.


and as for the OpenSSL bug. YES you are theoretically vulnerable as long as you use the old OpenSSL version. the bitcoin protocol itself is secure and not affected by the heartbleed bug. but in fact your computer is unsecure as long as that version is running. and as long as your computer is not safe, you bitcoins are either.. so a dedicated hacker would be able to get access to your machine and steal your coins without even touching the wallet/rpc.... (keylog + wallet.dat: just to mention ONE method..)

SO PLEASE UPDATE YOUR OPENSSL (if you haven't done yet) AND ROTATE ALL YOUR SSL KEYS!!!

regards,
bitsta

[btchris]

and as for the OpenSSL bug. YES you are theoretically vulnerable as long as you use the old OpenSSL version.

Actually the good news is that 0.8.x is only vulnerable to the Heartbleed bug if you're using RPCSSL. If you've ever used the -rpcssl plus the -rpcallowip option when starting Bitcoin, then you should probably consider your wallet compromised to be safe. This means you should create a new wallet.dat file, send all your btc to it (via the network), and stop using all of your old addresses.

If you've never used those options, then you're safe from this particular bug.

Having said all that, it's still a good idea to upgrade anyways (and of course keeping up to date with all of your operating system updates is even more important).

[AliceWonder]

and as for the OpenSSL bug. YES you are theoretically vulnerable as long as you use the old OpenSSL version. the bitcoin protocol itself is secure and not affected by the heartbleed bug. but in fact your computer is unsecure as long as that version is running. and as long as your computer is not safe, you bitcoins are either.. so a dedicated hacker would be able to get access to your machine and steal your coins without even touching the wallet/rpc.... (keylog + wallet.dat: just to mention ONE method..)

SO PLEASE UPDATE YOUR OPENSSL (if you haven't done yet) AND ROTATE ALL YOUR SSL KEYS!!!

regards,
bitsta

How would a hacker gain access if you are not running a service that listens for connections?

Bitcoin 0.9.0 and earlier was vulnerable if you used the remote RPC feature but not if you didn't (edited brain fart)

I agree he should update OpenSSL library, but his computer is only vulnerable if he has services listening.

[btchris]

How would a hacker gain access if you are not running a service that listens for connections?

Bitcoin 0.9.0 and earlier was vulnerable if you used the remote RPC feature but not if you didn't (edited brain fart)

I agree he should update OpenSSL library, but his computer is only vulnerable if he has services listening.

Actually version 0.9.0 has an additional vulnerability not present in 0.8.x (so OP's version isn't affected). Version 0.9.0 added support for the payment protocol (BIP70) and for payment protocol URIs (BIP72). If an attacker could convince you to to click on a BIP72 payment link, Bitcoin Core would establish an SSL connection to a remote server under the attacker's control which could then exploit Heartbleed.

The general advice is that if you've ever clicked on any payment link before while having version 0.9.0 installed, you should upgrade and then recreate your wallet, and stop using your old receiving addresses.

[kittycatbtc]

When will the Bitcoin wallet have more things like, more colourful and shit