$ETH The next major upgrade, Glamsterdam, was originally scheduled to launch on the Hoodi testnet early next week. Late last night Beijing time, developers abruptly called it off and told testnet node operators to revert to the previous version.
Ethereum is currently the largest smart-contract blockchain. Every hard fork has to be tested on testnets first. Hoodi is the final testnet before this upgrade goes to mainnet; the previous testnet run was completed earlier this month.
Glamsterdam’s key changes are to encode the separation of block proposers and builders into the protocol, and to add block-level access lists so nodes can validate transactions in parallel. It will also reprice gas, paving the way for larger block capacity in the future.
Security firm ChainSecurity said in a post that the delay is related to a gas-pricing issue it discovered: under the new rules, more gas may be available after a contract call fails. This could undermine protections in some contracts that rely on “running out of gas” to make the entire transaction fail and prevent malicious activity.
ChainSecurity said it has identified 13 real-world cases that are affected and is privately notifying the projects involved. The Ethereum Foundation is also investigating how many contracts may be affected.
The mainnet launch had not yet been given a date. Nixo, who coordinates the upgrade, said the delay could push the mainnet launch into next year. Core developers also reminded users that mainnet validators are unaffected and do not need to do anything.
Ethereum is currently the largest smart-contract blockchain. Every hard fork has to be tested on testnets first. Hoodi is the final testnet before this upgrade goes to mainnet; the previous testnet run was completed earlier this month.
Glamsterdam’s key changes are to encode the separation of block proposers and builders into the protocol, and to add block-level access lists so nodes can validate transactions in parallel. It will also reprice gas, paving the way for larger block capacity in the future.
Security firm ChainSecurity said in a post that the delay is related to a gas-pricing issue it discovered: under the new rules, more gas may be available after a contract call fails. This could undermine protections in some contracts that rely on “running out of gas” to make the entire transaction fail and prevent malicious activity.
ChainSecurity said it has identified 13 real-world cases that are affected and is privately notifying the projects involved. The Ethereum Foundation is also investigating how many contracts may be affected.
The mainnet launch had not yet been given a date. Nixo, who coordinates the upgrade, said the delay could push the mainnet launch into next year. Core developers also reminded users that mainnet validators are unaffected and do not need to do anything.