Linea Blockchain Halts After Hack, Highlights Decentralization Need for Ethereum L2s

Last Updated on June 3, 2024

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Key Takeaways:

  • Linea Blockchain halted block production following a $2.6 million hack on Velocore, highlighting centralization risks.
  • The incident emphasized the need for decentralization in Ethereum layer-2 solutions, with Linea committing to faster progress than competitors.
  • Linea’s team remains optimistic about decentralizing despite the hack, which prompted a temporary sequencer halt to protect funds.

Linea Blockchain’s recent halt of block production following a hack underscores the urgency for Ethereum layer-2 solutions to prioritize decentralization.

Linea paused its sequencer to prevent further loss of funds after a hacker exploited the Linea-based decentralized exchange, Velocore, transferring over $2.6 million in Ether.

This action highlighted the risks of centralized control in layer-2 solutions, prompting Alex Gluchowski, CEO of Matter Labs, to emphasize that decentralization of sequencers is crucial.

Linea’s product lead, Declan Fox, acknowledged the necessity of decentralization, stating that the network is progressing towards it faster than many competitors.

Despite the hack, Linea is on a solid path to decentralization, and the team remains optimistic about their pace compared to older frameworks.

Linea’s team clarified that halting the sequencer was a last resort to protect users and prevent further fund transfers.

The incident, detected by security firm Hexagate, involved a third-party bridge to move the stolen Ether.

Linea’s network, launched by Consensys in August 2023, aims to decentralize fully in the future to prevent such incidents.

The incident has sparked broader discussions on the centralization of Ethereum layer-2 solutions.

While Linea and other networks like Base remain centralized, efforts are underway to achieve decentralization progressively.

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