A major security update has arrived for the privacy-focused cryptocurrency Monero, with version 0.18.4.0 addressing multiple network vulnerabilities in the system's daemon processes.
The latest release represents substantial development work, incorporating 124 code commits and over 5,600 new lines of code from a team of 17 developers. These changes strengthen the network's security infrastructure while maintaining Monero's commitment to transaction privacy.
The update is now available across all major computing platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and FreeBSD. Users can download platform-specific versions directly from Monero's official website.
To protect users from compromised downloads, the development team has implemented a robust verification system. Each software package comes with a unique SHA256 hash that users can check against published values. For instance, the Windows 64-bit version should match the specific hash: 00151a96e96ef69eedf117c4900e6d0717ca074a61918cd94a55ed587544406b.
The release includes twelve different platform-specific builds, accommodating various processor architectures including ARM and RISC-V. This broad platform support helps maintain accessibility for Monero's diverse user base.
For maximum security, users are advised to perform a two-step verification process. This involves checking both the file hashes and validating the GPG signature on the official hash list. The necessary GPG keys for verification can be found in the Monero source code's utils/gpg_keys directory.
Given the security-focused nature of this release, all Monero users are strongly encouraged to update their software to version 0.18.4.0 promptly.