ZachXBT Criticizes Ripple's $250K Bug Bounty for Critical XRP Ledger Flaw
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT questions the adequacy of a $250K reward for a vulnerability that could have compromised XRP's supply.
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT questions the adequacy of a $250K reward for a vulnerability that could have compromised XRP's supply. XRP (XRP) is trading at $1.37. This is an original TLT brief synthesising 5 outlets (Crypto Adventure, Protos, ZyCrypto, and others), with their figures cross-checked, plus live market data, as of Tue, 13 Oct 2026 23:45:02 UTC.
The controversy highlights the debate over bug bounty valuations in the crypto industry and raises concerns about incentivizing whitehat hackers to responsibly disclose vulnerabilities.
- XRP Ledger Patches Decade-Old Bug With $250,000 Bounty ↗
- ZachXBT Slams Ripple Over $250K Reward for Critical XRP Supply Bug ↗
- Banking Giant Deploys Ripple Tech on XRP Ledger: Main Crypto News This Morning ↗
- XRPL branded 'cheap' for paying infinite XRP exploiter just $250K ↗
- Critical XRPL Flaw Could Have Let Hackers Mint 18 Trillion XRP, Here’s More ↗
- ZachXBT criticizes $250K bounty for critical XRP Ledger vulnerability.
- Vulnerability could have enabled XRP supply manipulation.
- Concerns raised about Ripple's bounty valuation compared to potential losses.
Crypto Adventure and Protos both report that blockchain investigator ZachXBT criticized Ripple for awarding a $250,000 bug bounty for a critical XRP Ledger vulnerability. While both outlets agree on the core facts and the $250,000 figure, Protos adds that ZachXBT believes the low payout could result in future losses of up to $100 million due to inadequate incentivization of whitehat hackers.
- XRP Ledger Patches Critical Bug That Could Have Minted 18 Trillion XRP
- ZachXBT Criticizes Ripple's $250K Bug Bounty for Critical XRP Ledger Flaw — this brief
- Ripple and Privy Team Up to Enhance AI Payments on XRP Ledger
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT has publicly criticized Ripple for awarding a $250,000 bug bounty for a critical vulnerability in the 
XRP Ledger. The investigator argues that the payout is disproportionately small considering the potential damage the flaw could have caused if exploited maliciously.
According to reports from Crypto Adventure and Protos, the vulnerability could have enabled attackers to manipulate XRP's supply, posing a significant risk to the cryptocurrency's integrity and market stability. ZachXBT expressed concern that such a low bounty might discourage future whitehat hackers from responsibly disclosing similar flaws.
Protos further reports that ZachXBT suggested the inadequate reward could lead to potential losses of up to $100 million in future exploits due to insufficient incentivization of ethical hackers. This raises broader questions about the valuation of bug bounties in the crypto industry and the balance between risk and reward for those who discover critical vulnerabilities.
The XRP Ledger vulnerability was responsibly disclosed and subsequently patched by Ripple, but the incident has sparked a debate about the adequacy of bug bounty programs in the cryptocurrency space. The case underscores the challenges of valuing cybersecurity risks and the importance of establishing fair compensation for those who help secure blockchain networks.
In the current market context, XRP is trading at $1.37, up 1.14% in the last 24 hours but down 8.87% over the past week. The broader crypto market is experiencing a modest recovery, with 
Bitcoin up 1.05% and the total market cap at $2.87 trillion. The Fear & Greed Index stands at 57, indicating a 'Greed' sentiment.
Since this brief published about 36 hours ago, XRP (XRP) has moved from $1.37 to $1.37 — +0.00%.
The chart plots XRP's price: grey is the move before this brief published, the vertical dashed line marks the moment it published, the horizontal dashed line is the price then, and the coloured area is the move since — from TLT's market data (daily resolution). It shows what happened after the news, not that the news caused it; many factors move prices. Not financial advice.
At today's peer-to-peer rate, 1 XRP ≈ ₦1,873.8 (about $1.37), up 2.0% over 24 hours. The naira itself trades about 2.7% above the official rate on the P2P market, so a Nigerian buyer's effective cost differs from the headline dollar price.
Live market data
Current prices for the assets in this story — live, source-stamped, updated every 15 minutes.
1 key figure independently matched across 2 outlets reporting this story.
TLT extracts the figures each outlet reports and flags the ones that agree. Numbers cited by only one outlet are attributed in the brief, not shown as corroborated.
ZachXBT Criticizes Ripple's $250K Bug Bounty for Critica — questions & answers
What was the vulnerability in the XRP Ledger?
The vulnerability could have allowed attackers to manipulate XRP's supply.
How much was the bug bounty awarded by Ripple?
Ripple awarded a $250,000 bug bounty for the vulnerability.
Why is ZachXBT criticizing the bounty amount?
ZachXBT believes the $250,000 bounty is too low given the potential damage the vulnerability could have caused.
How much is 1 XRP worth in naira today?
About ₦1,873.8 at the live peer-to-peer (P2P) USDT rate, which is what Nigerians typically trade at — equivalent to roughly $1.37. The naira price moves with both XRP's US-dollar price and the USDT/NGN rate; use our XRP in naira page for any amount.
Which outlets reported this story?
This is an original TLT brief that synthesises reporting from Crypto Adventure, Protos, ZyCrypto, U.Today, Live Bitcoin News, with the key figures cross-checked for agreement across them. It is not a copy of any one article — follow the source links above for the original reporting.
Original summary — not financial advice. This is an original TLT brief that summarises a development reported elsewhere and adds live market data for context; it is not the original article and reproduces no part of it. Follow the source link above for full details. Crypto is volatile and high-risk — always do your own research.