KARACHI: A potential security flaw in proposed Bitcoin Core code was identified by Ameen Alam, a former student and faculty leader of Saylani’s free IT program. The issue was confirmed and corrected before the code was released to users.
Bitcoin Core is the foundational open-source software supporting the global Bitcoin network. Alam independently reviewed the proposed source code and discovered that, although a limit had been placed on the request-body size, the cumulative size of headers received over multiple reads was not being calculated correctly. The flaw could potentially have exposed public servers to malicious activity.
After Alam publicly reported the issue, Bitcoin Core developer Matthew Zipkin confirmed it within a day, corrected the code and added further tests. Publicly appreciating Alam’s contribution, the developer wrote:
“Fix headers size accounting over multiple reads. Great catch, thanks Ameen Alam.”
Importantly, the flaw was detected while the code was still under review and was resolved before reaching any user.
Ameen Alam studied through Saylani’s free IT program from 2016 to 2018. He later joined Saylani’s academic leadership and served as Dean of Faculty in the Governor Sindh IT Initiative, representing Saylani. In this role, he led more than 150 instructors involved in providing technology education to over 500,000 students.
Alam has also established Saylani’s Digital Assets Engineering Program, covering block chain, smart contracts, tokenization and digital settlement. He is personally training the program’s instructors.
Commenting on open-source development, Alam said: “You do not need permission or a title. Anyone, from anywhere in the world, can open the code, review it and help make a global network stronger.”
The program’s aptitude test was held on July 26, while regular classes are scheduled to begin next week.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026