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Low 40 Bitcoin

Update Default Blinded Path constructor to use Dummy Hops

Public commit record

What the developer wrote

Authored by shaavan

73/100 · Adequate
Update Default Blinded Path constructor to use Dummy Hops

Applies dummy hops by default when constructing blinded paths via
`DefaultMessageRouter`, enhancing privacy by obscuring the true path length.

Uses a predefined `DUMMY_HOPS_COUNT` to apply dummy hops consistently
without requiring explicit user input.
✓ Specific, descriptive subject✓ Names a concrete action or component✓ Provides detailed explanatory context
The short version

What changed, and why it matters

This change improves privacy in Lightning onion messages by adding fake 'dummy hops' to blinded paths by default, making it harder for outside observers to guess how far the real recipient is from the sender. It is a defensive privacy hardening patch, not a fix for an active exploit.

Recommended action

Review and merge as a privacy improvement. Ensure downstream consumers relying on exact blinded hop counts for non-compact paths are aware of the new fixed length. No urgent security response is indicated by the diff alone.

Security signals we found

01

Privacy hardening: pads blinded path length to obscure true recipient position

02

Replaces direct BlindedMessagePath::new with dummy-hop-aware constructor

03

Adds constant PADDED_PATH_LENGTH (4 hops) for non-compact paths

04

Compact paths explicitly excluded from padding

05

Includes debug_assert length sanity check

Risk score

Why this scored 40/100

Our methodology →
Potential impact 8/30
Exploitability 5/25
Stealth signal 6/15
Affected reach 10/15
Confidence 7/10
Evidence quality 4/5
Human-validated context

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