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Deep Technical Audit

Peer Handshake + Version Negotiation + Protocol Compatibility

This audit traces the legacy peer handshake from TCP connection through version and verack, then separates protocol-version compatibility from consensus-rule compatibility. A peer can speak the same wire protocol without necessarily sharing the same chain rules.

Protocol Version

VTA OBSERVED

The user's local VTA Core snapshot reported protocol version 70002.

Handshake

SOURCE PATH

The reviewed VTA networking code uses the legacy version/verack handshake architecture.

Compatibility Matrix

TEST REQUIRED

Historical minimum peer versions and every compatibility cutoff require exact release/commit testing.

Handshake Flow

TCP Connectsocket established versionprotocol negotiation Version Checkpeer compatibility verackhandshake complete Normal Messagesinv / getdata / block / tx Protocol compatibility ≠ consensus compatibility Matching protocol version means peers can communicate at the wire level; it does not prove they enforce identical block/transaction rules. Consensus compatibility must be established separately from handshake behavior. Verified/local evidence protocolversion = 70002 local VTA Core v2.9.1.0 observation Evidence gap minimum peer version, obsolete-peer cutoffs and full compatibility matrix.

Audit Matrix

AreaFindingStatus
Local protocol versionThe user's VTA Core getinfo output reported protocolversion = 70002.Local evidence
Local client versionThe same snapshot reported VTA Core numeric version 2090100, corresponding to v2.9.1.0.Local evidence
Version messageThe reviewed VTA peer architecture uses the legacy version handshake message.Source path
verackThe reviewed networking architecture transitions peers through verack after version negotiation.Source path
Protocol framingPreviously audited message framing includes network magic, command/payload framing and checksum validation.Previously verified
Peer version cutoffNo complete release-pinned table of minimum acceptable peer versions is asserted here.Needs source pin
Old-peer behaviorWhether obsolete peers are disconnected, tolerated or restricted must be tested against exact VTA release behavior.Needs test
Consensus compatibilityWire-protocol compatibility does not prove identical consensus validation rules.Architecture
Network-wide compatibilityNo network-wide survey of VTA peer versions was performed.Not measured

Release-Pinned Test Plan

1. Pin exact VTA Core release / commit.
2. Trace version message construction and parsing.
3. Trace verack transition.
4. Record minimum protocol-version checks.
5. Test peer at current protocol version.
6. Test deliberately old protocol version on a private test node.
7. Record disconnect/reject behavior.
8. Test mismatched network magic.
9. Test malformed version/verack messages.
10. Build a release-to-release compatibility matrix.
11. Separately compare consensus-rule compatibility.
Important: The local value 70002 is a measured property of the user's VTA Core instance at the time of observation. It is not a claim about every VTA node currently online.
VTA-specific conclusions are limited to reviewed source paths and local node evidence. Historical peer-version compatibility requires exact release/commit pinning.