11675

XMR Wallet Signature Verification Needs Fixing | Security Improvement Still Under Review | I’ll Wait for Confirmation at $645

My stance is to wait and see, not chase a rally based on a single code commit. The trending topics on Binance Square currently mainly concern exchange security, withdrawals, and macroeconomics. XMR has no direct upward-trending tag in the six-hour search rankings, so I won’t tie this post to unrelated topics. On November 3, PR #11675 appeared in Monero’s official code repository. The developer noted that when a view-only wallet uses certain message-signing interfaces with the default signing method, it may attempt to use a spend key that does not exist. A production build will return a signature that cannot be verified, while a debug build will trigger an assertion. The proposal requires checking before signing that the selected private key matches the address’s public key, and having the interface return a clear error. The PR is still open and awaiting review. We cannot say the latest wallet version has fixed the issue, much less infer that anyone has lost funds because of it.

Why is this detail worth traders’ attention? “Message signing” is often used to prove control of an address or log in to certain applications, but it is different from an on-chain transfer. If the interface shows that a signature was created but the recipient cannot verify it, users may misjudge their permissions or waste time troubleshooting—especially since a view-only wallet does not hold spendable private keys in the first place. The PR also notes that in the old logic, when an address was explicitly specified, only the spend public key was matched, which could result in a signature that did not correspond to the address entered. The proposed change would check both types of public keys. The author lists unit tests, wallet API tests, and RPC signing function tests as having passed, but these are tests reported by the submitter; they do not mean the code has been merged or released, or that all wallet implementations are covered. The official website’s current release notes still show version 0.18.5.4, which should be considered separately from this PR, which is still under review.

From a market perspective, this is a potential fix to improve reliability of use; it does not directly change XMR’s supply, privacy protocol, or spot buying demand. Regulation and access to trading channels remain bigger variables: FATF recently launched a targeted review of the implementation of standards for virtual asset service providers. The document does not name XMR, so it should not be described as a new ban targeting XMR. However, exchanges’ support for privacy assets, deposit and withdrawal status, and market depth do affect actual trading costs. In a Kraken snapshot I saw XMR at around $632.53, with a daily open of $630 and a 24-hour low of $622.94 and high of $645. The price is slightly above the daily open but still below the high; that is not enough to prove the market is pricing in this PR.

I view $645 as a short-term confirmation level and $622.94 as the lower bound of the current trading range. If the price breaks above $645 but quickly falls back below it, or if the PR review finds that the proposal does not resolve the view-only wallet scenario, I’ll withdraw my cautiously bullish view. On the macro front, the Fed kept its policy rate range at 3.75%–4% at its last meeting. The broader liquidity constraints on risk assets have not disappeared because of a single development discussion.

If I were trading this myself, I would sit out for now and consider only unleveraged spot longs. I would enter a trial position of no more than 2% of total capital only if XMR holds above $645 for a full hour, holds $642 on a pullback, and XMR spot market depth and deposits and withdrawals are normal on the platform I use. The first target is $655, where I would sell half; the second is $665, where I would close the position or use a trailing stop on the remainder. I would set the stop below the pullback low, with a maximum distance of 3% from the entry price. I would close early if the hourly close falls below $642, channel conditions deteriorate, or a project announcement changes the factual basis. If the conditions are not met, I’ll stay out of the market; observation should not be presented as a return.

#XMR
The above is solely my personal market observation and does not constitute investment advice.

XMR wallet signature fix enters review｜Not a mainnet breach｜Consider a test position only above $636.90

My approach is to verify the risk boundaries first, then look at the price—not chase a code-related headline. Today, Binance Square’s trending topics are still mainly about platform withdrawals, a French tax case, and macroeconomics. XMR is not marked as “trending upward” among the six-hour Most Searched results, so I won’t force an irrelevant trending tag onto this piece; instead, I’ll focus on a specific change that just appeared in Monero’s official code repository.

A new PR, #11675, was opened in Monero’s main repository on November 3. Titled “wallet: reject unverifiable message signatures,” it was still Open and pending review when I wrote this. The submitter explains that a view-only wallet has no spend private key available. If the wallet API or RPC signs using the spend private key by default, a production build may return a message signature that cannot be verified. The proposed patch checks before signing whether the selected private key corresponds to the address’s public key, and has the API or RPC return an error if they do not match. It also checks both public keys for an explicitly specified address to prevent a signature from failing to match that address. This concerns the feature for “proving that a particular message was signed by a particular address”; it is not an on-chain transaction signature, and there is no evidence that private keys were exposed as a result, that the mainnet was compromised, or that funds were stolen.

I also checked an older issue, #4212, in the Monero GUI repository from 2023. It had already documented the scenario in which a view-only wallet mistakenly uses a spend key and produces a signature that cannot prove its own validity. The CLI/RPC has an explicit option to select a view key for signing. The new PR addresses this edge case; it does not mean the problem only arose today. The claim that the PR passes tests comes from the submitter, and pending review does not mean it has already been merged or released. The latest official version on the website is 0.18.5.4, released on October 16, and I have not seen an official announcement that this fix has made it into a stable release. Anyone using a view-only wallet to prove ownership of assets should verify that the signature actually passes verification rather than treating “a string was generated” as proof that the process is complete.

Why does this matter for trading? XMR’s privacy features mean third parties rely more heavily on compliant channels, wallets, and verifiable evidence of operations. The credibility of proof processes matters for custody and over-the-counter settlement, but a wallet fix that has not yet been merged does not automatically change on-chain supply or create buying demand in the short term. Recent FATF reviews of virtual asset service providers did not single out XMR, so we should not invent a ban or a bullish catalyst based on that. The Federal Reserve’s latest decision kept the target range at 3.75% to 4%, and macro liquidity remains a background variable. At the time of writing, XMR/USD was around $632.47 on Kraken, with a daily open of $630.00 and a 24-hour range of $602.20 to $636.90. It is slightly stronger than the daily open, but has not broken the top of the range, so the rise cannot be attributed to this PR.

If I were trading this myself, I would stay out for now and consider only a leveraged-free spot long. I would wait for an hourly close to hold above $636.90 and a pullback to hold at $635, while also confirming that quotes and deposits and withdrawals are operating normally on the trading channel I use. Then I would test the position with no more than 2% of my total capital. The first target is $650, where I would halve the position; the second is $665, with a trailing stop on the remainder. The initial stop-loss is $624. If the price breaks below $630 and fails to recover, the PR review reveals more serious security information, or the channel suddenly tightens restrictions, I would close the position early. If none of these conditions are met, I would remain in cash. I will not present a plan as if it were an executed trade.

#XMR

The above is solely my personal market observation and does not constitute investment advice.