๐จ Replay Attack: How I Lost My BCH After 10 Years! ๐จ
After a decade, I finally remembered the password to my old Bitcoin wallet! ๐ Since I had held Bitcoin for so long, I also owned its forks like Bitcoin Cash ($BCH) and eCash ($XEC). Naturally, I wanted to consolidate everything into a multi-platform wallet.
I sent my XEC from Electrum ABC to Binanceโeverything seemed fineโฆ until 10 minutes later, when my BCH balance in Electron Cash vanished! ๐ฑ๐ธ
What Happened? A Classic Replay Attack! ๐
1๏ธโฃ Forked Chains Share History โ When Bitcoin split into Bitcoin Cash, both chains shared the same transaction history. ๐
2๏ธโฃ No Replay Protection โ Some transactions valid on one chain can be "replayed" on the other if protections arenโt in place.
3๏ธโฃ Same Transaction, Different Chain โ My XEC transaction was broadcasted on the BCH chain as well, unknowingly sending my BCH to an unintended address! ๐
๐ The Aftermath
Binance support couldnโt recover my BCH because the recipient address wasnโt under their control. Luckily, it was just $1 worth, but imagine if it were thousands!
๐ฅ How to Protect Yourself from Replay Attacks
โ Split your coins properly before transacting using tools like "coin splitting" in forked wallets.
โ Use separate wallets for different chains.
โ Check for replay protection mechanisms before sending assets across forked blockchains.
Even though I doubt there's a way to reverse it, Iโd love to hear from crypto expertsโis there ANY way to recover my BCH? Let me know! ๐
