Casper Network resumes operations after addressing a security breach, involving validators in a coordinated effort to restore network integrity.
Points
- Casper Network experienced a temporary halt due to a security breach.
- Validators unanimously agreed to resume validation.
- The upgrade process involved deploying a new Casper-node binary and configuration files.
- The team created a tool to scan the entire blockchain for further exploitation instances.
The Casper Network has resumed operations after a temporary halt caused by a security breach. On July 31 at 3:18 pm UTC, 64 validators unanimously agreed to resume validation, representing 85% of the CSPR staked on the network.
https://x.com/Casper_Network/status/1818692151745667137
The Casper team noted that the pause in network operations presented a technical challenge, especially since it occurred in the middle of an active era rather than at the end. Two blocks containing four transactions were removed to address this, effectively orphaning these transactions and their effects on the blockchain.
The upgrade process involved deploying a new Casper-node binary and standard configuration files. Following the network pause, validators needed to manually initiate the upgrade and implement the new version, requiring real-time synchronization. Additionally, a tool was created to scan the entire blockchain from its inception to the present, ensuring no other instances of exploitation had occurred.
Validators Approve Node Restart
With the validators’ consent, the nodes were restarted, removing the two problematic blocks and applying the necessary global state changes. Once 66.7% or more of the consensus stake reached this point, the network was unpaused, and block creation resumed.
Unlike WazirX, which reported no evidence of compromised signer machines in its preliminary investigation of the July 18 hack, the Casper team has made significant progress in identifying the root cause of the breach.
Cointelegraph contacted the Casper network team for more information on its root cause analysis but had yet to receive feedback at the time of publication.