Ethereum validators lose R$ 6.45 million after bug

Source: PortaldoBitcoin Original Title: Ethereum Validators Lose R$ 6.45 Million After Bug Original Link: A bug involving Ethereum led to a loss of about 382 ETH in validator rewards, equivalent to approximately R$ 6.45 million, according to an analysis released by Prysm, one of the main software used to keep the network running. The issue occurred on December 4, one day after the implementation of the Fusaka update.

Validators are participants responsible for confirming transactions and creating new blocks on the blockchain. As a reward for this work, they receive small amounts of ETH. This process takes place in cycles called “epochs,” which last a few minutes. During the incident, 41 consecutive epochs were affected.

According to Prysm, almost all nodes using this client experienced a depletion of computational resources. In simple terms, computers became overloaded trying to process certain information, causing many validators to stop responding to the network on time. As a result, blocks and confirmations were not recorded, leading to the loss of rewards.

In total, 248 blocks were not properly synchronized by these nodes. During the event, network participation dropped to about 75%, a number below the ideal for the full operation of the Ethereum network. Still, the blockchain did not stop.

This happened because Ethereum uses different validation software, known as clients. While Prysm faced issues, other clients continued to operate normally. According to the company itself, this diversity of clients was essential to prevent more severe consequences, such as the validation of incorrect information or temporary network interruption.

The error was identified in Prysm’s code and has already been fixed. Versions v7.0.1 and v7.1.0 of the software include the definitive solution to the bug.