Hack Forces Linea To Halt Block Production Temporarily, Here’s What To Know

In a noteworthy development for the blockchain community, Consensys’ Linea Layer 2 blockchain has temporarily suspended block production following a recent security compromise that led to the exploitation of funds worth millions of dollars. The purpose of this swift move was to prevent any potential exploitation of user assets and to preserve the network’s integrity.

According to the TOBTC trading platform, despite intentions to resume production and decentralize its network in the near future, the incident highlights the crucial need for Ethereum layer-2 solutions like Linea to boost decentralization efforts.

Linea Blockchain Swoops In To Save The Day

On Sunday, June 2, a hacker took advantage of vulnerabilities in the Velocore decentralized exchange, which runs on the Linea network. This act which was carried out using a third-party bridge allowed the hacker to siphon off more than 700 Ethereum (ETH) valued at $2.6 million from the blockchain.

Linea noted that Hexagate was the first to discover the hack, identifying the exploiter addresses, weak smart contracts, and stolen funds. However, the time zone variations prevented the blockchain from getting in touch with the Velocore team right away.

As a result, the blockchain platform momentarily stopped producing blocks, exposing the flaws in centralized control to prevent more harm. “Because other avenues of handling this exploit closed, our team halted the sequencer to prevent additional funds bridging out,” the platform stated.

Linea described the stoppage of block manufacturing as a “last resort” action to safeguard its users from additional harm. Specifically, the solution halted the block production between blocks 5081800 and 5081801.

During the break, the blockchain allowed the Velocore time team to assist in examining the vulnerability. Furthermore, they censored the addresses of the hackers, which greatly lessened the damage to Linea consumers’ ecology. “Like other L2s, we are still in the ‘training wheels’ phase of existence, giving us safeguards to use,” the firm added.

Decentralizing its network, including the sequencer, is Linea’s main objective. With the network developing into a decentralized, censorship-resistant ecosystem, the team will not be able to stop block production or censor addresses.

The Decision Was Not Taken Lightly

The majority of L2 solutions, such as Linea, continue to depend on centralized technical operations, which can be used to safeguard ecosystem members. Thus, this action was not an easy choice to make, considering Linea’s fundamental principle is a permissionless, censorship-resistant environment.

A significant factor underscored by the platform in its decision to halt the sequencer was the hacker’s acquisition of tokens and the subsequent sale into ETH. Beyond the vulnerability that drained the liquidity pool, this exploit would have led to significant problems for users in the ecosystem.

So far, the team has highlighted its commitment to providing a safer ecosystem for its users by developing broader threat monitoring and prevention mechanisms that were fully activated during the hack.