XRP Ledger Fixes Old Bug That Could Have Created Billions In Fake Tokens

TLDR

• A flaw dating back to 2015 in the XRP Ledger could have let attackers create new XRP out of nothing, breaking its fixed 100 billion token supply.
• Researcher Cayden Liao and Veria AI found the bug and reported it privately on Sept. 22, 2026.
• RippleX engineers confirmed the attack worked on a test server but found no sign it was ever used on the live network.
• Developers quietly fixed the issue in a software update called xrpld 3.4.1 on Sept. 25.
• Separately, the XRP Ledger activated a new “Batch” feature letting users bundle up to eight transactions into one.

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A newly disclosed security flaw in the XRP Ledger could have allowed someone to create large amounts of XRP without paying for it. The bug dates back to 2015 and was tied to how the network’s built-in exchange system counted large orders.

⚡️GOOD NEWS: XRP Ledger patches a DECADE-OLD security flaw that could have created BILLIONS of dollars worth of XRP out of thin air.

The bug, dating back to 2015, could have allowed attackers to generate and spend $XRP without funding it, potentially breaking the token’s fixed… https://t.co/gwL5nDE6fH pic.twitter.com/06X2rrPRHE

— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) October 10, 2026

Researcher Cayden Liao, working with Veria AI, discovered the flaw and reported it to Ripple’s developer team on Sept. 22. RippleX engineers tested the attack on a private server and were able to recreate it.

They confirmed that an attacker could have generated new XRP and later spent it like real tokens. The company said there was no evidence anyone used this method on the actual public network.

How The Bug Worked

All 100 billion XRP were created when the ledger launched in 2012. The software was built so no additional coins could ever be added.

The flaw involved the ledger’s built-in currency exchange, where users post offers to trade one token for another. An attacker could open hundreds of small accounts and have each one offer a tiny amount of a token in exchange for a very large amount of XRP.

By sending one payment that filled every offer at the same time, the total amount of XRP owed became too large for the system to calculate correctly. This caused the selling accounts to get paid in full, while the account making the purchase was charged almost nothing.

The result was new XRP appearing with no real cost to the attacker. A built-in check that normally looks for new XRP being created missed the issue because it relied on the same flawed math. A separate limit on how much XRP one account can receive also failed to catch it, since the method spread tokens across many accounts.

Carrying out the exploit would have required only a small amount of XRP to open the accounts, along with basic transaction fees.

The Fix And Other Network Changes

Developers released a fix through xrpld 3.4.1 on Sept. 25, without publicly explaining what the update addressed at the time. This flaw is one of several older crypto bugs uncovered this year with help from AI tools, following similar discoveries in the Coldcard wallet and Core Lightning software.

Separately, the XRP Ledger activated a new feature called Batch on its main network. The feature allows users to combine between two and eight transactions into a single action.

Thirty of 35 network validators approved the change, meeting the required two-week supermajority needed for approval. Batch offers four settings, including one where all included transactions must succeed together or the entire group fails.

Supporters of the feature say it could help with trades, settlements and NFT swaps that depend on multiple steps happening at once.

In a related development, XRP-linked company Evernorth is preparing to list on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker XRPN. The company said its listing date moved from Oct. 8 to Oct. 12 due to an administrative delay.

Evernorth expects to hold about 473 million XRP once the listing is complete, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.