diff --git a/tests/v2/test_waku_rln_relay.nim b/tests/v2/test_waku_rln_relay.nim
index 3cda5878b..57d4f9c7f 100644
--- a/tests/v2/test_waku_rln_relay.nim
+++ b/tests/v2/test_waku_rln_relay.nim
@@ -820,7 +820,7 @@ suite "Waku rln relay":
     debug "encoded and decode time", epoch = epoch, epochBytes = epochBytes,
       decodedEpoch = decodedEpoch
 
-  test "Epoch comparison":
+  test "Epoch comparison, epoch1 > epoch2":
     # check edge cases
     let
       time1 = uint64.high
@@ -828,8 +828,8 @@ suite "Waku rln relay":
       epoch1 = time1.toEpoch()
       epoch2 = time2.toEpoch()
     check:
-      diff(epoch1, epoch2) == int64(1)
-      diff(epoch2, epoch1) == int64(-1)
+      absDiff(epoch1, epoch2) == uint64(1)
+      absDiff(epoch2, epoch1) == uint64(1)
 
   test "updateLog and hasDuplicate tests":
     let
diff --git a/vendor/nim-libbacktrace/vendor/libbacktrace-upstream/libtool b/vendor/nim-libbacktrace/vendor/libbacktrace-upstream/libtool
index 5ec0c6014..a8c178a37 100755
--- a/vendor/nim-libbacktrace/vendor/libbacktrace-upstream/libtool
+++ b/vendor/nim-libbacktrace/vendor/libbacktrace-upstream/libtool
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 # libtool - Provide generalized library-building support services.
 # Generated automatically by config.status (libbacktrace) version-unused
-# Libtool was configured on host fv-az96-850:
+# Libtool was configured on host fv-az290-341:
 # NOTE: Changes made to this file will be lost: look at ltmain.sh.
 #
 #   Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_constants.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_constants.nim
index 3d02b4e94..3f9422b3a 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_constants.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_constants.nim
@@ -458,4 +458,4 @@ const EpochUnitSeconds* = float64(10) # the rln-relay epoch length in seconds
 const MaxClockGapSeconds* = 20.0 # the maximum clock difference between peers in seconds
                                     
 # maximum allowed gap between the epochs of messages' RateLimitProofs
-const MaxEpochGap* = int64(MaxClockGapSeconds/EpochUnitSeconds)
\ No newline at end of file
+const MaxEpochGap* = uint64(MaxClockGapSeconds/EpochUnitSeconds)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_utils.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_utils.nim
index d07940d60..96dc4a890 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_utils.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_utils.nim
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {.push raises: [Defect].}
 
 import
-  std/[sequtils, tables, times, streams, os, deques],
+  std/[sequtils, tables, times, os, deques],
   chronicles, options, chronos, stint,
   confutils,
   web3, json,
@@ -785,15 +785,21 @@ proc getCurrentEpoch*(): Epoch =
   ## gets the current rln Epoch time
   return calcEpoch(epochTime())
 
-proc diff*(e1, e2: Epoch): int64 =
-  ## returns the difference between the two rln `Epoch`s `e1` and `e2`
+proc absDiff*(e1, e2: Epoch): uint64 =
+  ## returns the absolute difference between the two rln `Epoch`s `e1` and `e2`
   ## i.e., e1 - e2
 
   # convert epochs to their corresponding unsigned numerical values
   let
     epoch1 = fromEpoch(e1)
     epoch2 = fromEpoch(e2)
-  return int64(epoch1) - int64(epoch2)
+  
+  # Manually perform an `abs` calculation
+  if epoch1 > epoch2:
+    return epoch1 - epoch2
+  else:
+    return epoch2 - epoch1
+
 
 proc validateMessage*(rlnPeer: WakuRLNRelay, msg: WakuMessage,
     timeOption: Option[float64] = none(float64)): MessageValidationResult =
@@ -820,12 +826,12 @@ proc validateMessage*(rlnPeer: WakuRLNRelay, msg: WakuMessage,
   let
     msgEpoch = msg.proof.epoch
     # calculate the gaps
-    gap = diff(epoch, msgEpoch)
+    gap = absDiff(epoch, msgEpoch)
 
   debug "message epoch", msgEpoch = fromEpoch(msgEpoch)
 
   # validate the epoch
-  if abs(gap) > MaxEpochGap:
+  if gap > MaxEpochGap:
     # message's epoch is too old or too ahead
     # accept messages whose epoch is within +-MaxEpochGap from the current epoch
     debug "invalid message: epoch gap exceeds a threshold", gap = gap,