Bitcoin Core 32 Enters Final Testing Phase

Bitcoin Core 32.0 entered its final testing phase on Sept. 14, with the completed software set for distribution on Oct. 10, CoinDesk reported.

The release alters the method by which nodes calculate fee estimates and handle block data without modifying Bitcoin’s consensus rules. By default, the software will employ eight processing threads to retrieve transaction data during block verification, a modification designed to lower disk wait times when a node syncs with the blockchain.

Version 32 introduces a secondary fee estimation tool that monitors pending transactions awaiting confirmation, instead of depending exclusively on fees from prior blocks. This system can suggest lower fees when network conditions permit, enabling estimates to drop more rapidly as congestion subsides. Four commands used to generate partially signed transactions will now default to the newer PSBT version 2 format.

Developers corrected a command-execution vulnerability present since version 24.0 on non-Windows systems, which allowed an authenticated user with specific permissions to execute commands on the host computer via a specially crafted wallet name.

Testing also uncovered a memory-exhaustion defect in the new web server. Sixteen unauthenticated REST connections caused one test node’s memory usage to rise from 46 MB to approximately 3 GB within a minute. Following the fix, a similar 90-second test consumed approximately 3 MB.