The timestamp that was typed by hand

Description and use

A manually entered timestamp in an append‑only ledger allowed forged files to be accepted. Correcting the stamp to the system time restored integrity.

Problem

A manual timestamp entry in an append‑only ledger caused the system to accept forged files as legitimate, breaking the integrity guarantee of the ledger.

Outcome

After correcting the opening stamp to the machine’s time, all acceptance tests passed and the regression sweep confirmed zero new false positives across 117 files.

Workflow

• 1. Identify the incorrect hand‑typed opening stamp in the ledger.
• 2. Rewrite the opening line to use the machine’s current time (e.g., 17:41).
• 3. Re‑run the acceptance tests to verify all paths return the expected exit codes.
• 4. Perform a regression sweep over the instrument directory to ensure no new false positives.
• 5. Document the corrected ledger and backup the previous version for audit purposes.

Evidence

The opening stamp was typed by hand, from memory, as 17:58 — while the machine's clock read 17:40.

Source

The repair was one rule and one line: stamps come from the clock, never from the hand.

Source