Bitcoin mining firm Marathon Digital recently confirmed that it mined an invalid Bitcoin block as part of an experiment to optimize its operations. The company clarified that this experiment was not an attempt to alter Bitcoin Core or the network itself. Marathon promptly rectified the error as soon as it noticed the invalid block. The bug that caused the issue originated from the firm’s internal development environment and had no connection to Marathon’s Bitcoin production pool or Bitcoin Core.
The incident occurred on September 26th, and Bitcoin developers, along with BitMEX Research, attributed the invalid block to a transaction ordering issue. Marathon’s mistake involved resorting transactions in ascending order based on absolute fees, which resulted in the invalid block. Bitcoin analyst Dylan LeClair suggested that Marathon should have conducted such experiments on a testnet before attempting them on the mainnet. Despite the incident, Marathon acknowledged that Bitcoin functioned as designed by excluding the invalid block, highlighting the network’s robust security.
Following the news, Marathon’s share price dropped by 2.91% to $8.01. The company’s experiment serves as a reminder of the importance of thorough testing and validation processes when implementing changes in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. This incident also underscores the strength and resilience of the Bitcoin network, as it swiftly identified and rectified the anomaly. Marathon did not provide immediate comment when approached by Cointelegraph for further details.