{"id":14936,"date":"2026-10-26T12:53:48","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T12:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14936"},"modified":"2026-10-26T12:53:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T12:53:48","slug":"bitcoin-hacking-challenge-finally-falls-as-researcher-proves-critical-php-flaw-is-exploitable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14936","title":{"rendered":"Bitcoin hacking challenge finally falls as researcher proves critical PHP flaw is exploitable"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A hacker breached a public PHP server to win a Bitcoin bounty after the challenge sparked doubts about critical software vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n

The researcher, identified online as Killa, successfully executed code on the Steal My Bitcoin<\/em> challenge server on October 25, extracting a hidden wallet credential in an experiment that drew attention to claims that artificial intelligence was making serious security flaws easier to exploit.<\/p>\n

Challenge operator James Pavur confirmed the successful attack, saying server logs supported the researcher’s findings.<\/p>\n

However, the result came after problems with the challenge’s initial configuration led security experts to question whether it meaningfully tested the underlying vulnerability.<\/p>\n

The competition followed the October 21 disclosure of two critical PHP vulnerabilities, CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, which researchers said could allow attackers to execute code remotely on affected servers.<\/p>\n

The discoveries prompted urgent warnings from cryptocurrency security executives and emergency software updates.<\/p>\n

The Bitcoin challenge then became a public test of those warnings, and its apparent resistance to attacks fueled skepticism about how easily the vulnerabilities could be exploited.<\/p>\n

Flawed Bitcoin challenge falls within hours of server changes<\/h2>\n

Pavur initially configured the challenge to serve ordinary HTML through PHP’s built-in web server, limiting attackers’ ability to reach the vulnerable functionality.<\/p>\n

The setup drew criticism from cybersecurity researchers, who argued that its early survival provided little evidence of the flaws’ exploitability.<\/p>\n

Ethical hacker and Hacktron co-founder Mohan \u201cs1r1us\u201d Pedhapati warned that the discussion surrounding the competition risked encouraging businesses to underestimate the security threat.<\/p>\n