Migrate from elliptic to @noble/curves & Remove bitcoinjs-message

[ACken2]

Description:

🛡️ Security Fix & Dependency Migration

This PR addresses Issue #25 regarding the critical security vulnerabilities and lack of maintenance in the elliptic package.

To resolve this, we have completely removed the dependency tree rooted in elliptic (including bitcoinjs-message and the legacy secp256k1 node wrapper) and migrated to @noble/curves, which is modern, audited, and constant-time.

🔄 Changes

1. Removed Dependencies:

   • bitcoinjs-message: Replaced with an internal, lightweight implementation.
   • secp256k1: Replaced with @noble/curves.
   • elliptic: Removed entirely (except its use in unit tests).

2. New Implementation (src/helpers/BitcoinMessage.ts):

   • Implemented a robust, drop-in replacement for Bitcoin Message signing and verification.
   • Full Support: Handles Legacy (P2PKH), Nested Segwit (P2SH-P2WPKH), and Native Segwit (P2WPKH) signature headers.
   • Network Agnostic: The verify function automatically detects the network (Mainnet, Testnet, or Regtest) of the provided address.

3. Refactor:

   • Updated src/helpers/Key.ts to use noble-curves for key compression and decompression.
   • Updated src/helpers/BIP137.ts to use noble-curves for public key recovery.

🧪 Testing & Verification

We have added a comprehensive test suite to ensure zero regressions:

• Cross-Verification: A new test suite (test/BitcoinMessage.test.ts) generates signatures using the old bitcoinjs-message library and asserts that our new implementation generates the exact same byte-for-byte output.
• Round-Trip Tests: Verifies that signatures generated by the new code can be verified by the old library, and vice-versa.
• Coverage: Tests cover all address types (compressed/uncompressed) and all networks (Mainnet, Testnet, Regtest).
• Magic Hash: Added specific vectors to verify the double-SHA256 message hashing logic against standard OpenSSL outputs.

⚠️ Breaking Changes

• The public API for Signer and Verifier remains unchanged.
• Future releases would drop Node.js v18 support (see Dropping Support for Node.js v18 & Migrating to Active LTS #27 for detail).

🔗 Related Issues

Closes #25

[gemini-code-assist]

Summary of Changes

Hello @ACken2, I'm Gemini Code Assist¹! I'm currently reviewing this pull request and will post my feedback shortly. In the meantime, here's a summary to help you and other reviewers quickly get up to speed!

This pull request significantly enhances the project's security posture and maintainability by replacing outdated and vulnerable cryptographic dependencies with modern, well-audited alternatives. It introduces an internal, feature-rich implementation for Bitcoin message signing and verification, ensuring continued compatibility and robustness while streamlining the dependency footprint. The changes are thoroughly tested to guarantee functional equivalence and reliability.

Highlights

• Security & Dependency Migration: The elliptic package, identified as having critical security vulnerabilities and lacking maintenance, has been completely removed from the dependency tree. This addresses Issue Dependency "elliptic" has unfixed security issues #25.
• New Cryptography Library: The project has migrated to @noble/curves, a modern, audited, and constant-time cryptographic library, replacing elliptic and the legacy secp256k1 node wrapper.
• Internal Bitcoin Message Implementation: The external bitcoinjs-message dependency has been replaced with a new, robust, and lightweight internal implementation located at src/helpers/BitcoinMessage.ts. This new implementation provides full support for Legacy (P2PKH), Nested Segwit (P2SH-P2WPKH), and Native Segwit (P2WPKH) signature headers.
• Network Agnostic Verification: The verify function in the new BitcoinMessage implementation automatically detects the network (Mainnet, Testnet, or Regtest) of the provided Bitcoin address, simplifying usage.
• Refactoring for noble-curves: Key utility functions in src/helpers/Key.ts (for public key compression/decompression) and src/helpers/BIP137.ts (for public key recovery) have been updated to leverage the @noble/curves library.
• Comprehensive Testing: A new, extensive test suite (test/BitcoinMessage.test.ts) has been added to ensure zero regressions. This includes cross-verification with the old bitcoinjs-message library for byte-for-byte output equality, round-trip tests, and coverage for all address types and networks.

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[coveralls]

Pull Request Test Coverage Report for Build 19595927260

Details

• 79 of 79 (100.0%) changed or added relevant lines in 7 files are covered.
• No unchanged relevant lines lost coverage.
• Overall coverage remained the same at 100.0%

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Totals
Change from base Build 19595886310:	0.0%
Covered Lines:	434
Relevant Lines:	434

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💛 - Coveralls

[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This is an excellent security enhancement, migrating from the unmaintained elliptic and bitcoinjs-message packages to the modern and audited @noble/curves. The new BitcoinMessage helper is a well-crafted replacement, and the comprehensive test suite, including cross-verification against the old library, is a great example of ensuring a safe migration. I've identified a critical bug in the new sign method due to incorrect API usage, which would lead to a runtime error. I have also included a suggestion to improve code clarity in the verify method. After addressing these points, this will be a very strong contribution to the project's security and maintainability.