15:00
4
min at reading ▪
While the crypto ecosystem detained the breath to update the Pecra d’ethereum, the anonymous actor played The CoippleSports on the Sepolia test network. A gentle attack, using an unexpected mistake, has revealed vulnerabilities that ask how they educate. Decryption of an incident halfway between a technical error and a psychological war.
When the transmission of the “spirit” paralyzes the sepolia
5th March Ethereum deployed Pecra on Sepolia, its latest test network before official start. But barely blockchain clock began when the error messages were attacked by Geth knots. Empty, unnecessary blocks accumulate. Marius van der Wijden, a key developer, says: “The attacker has transformed the ERC-20 functionality into a weapon. »»
Everything is based on neglected technical detail: the ERC-20 standard enables the conversion of tokens … without chips. An unknown user sent a 0 token transaction to a separation contract and triggered a cascade of erroneous events.
Result? The net began to undermine empty blocks such as an engine that would run empty. “We were thinking of an internal error, but the address was new, funded via the facet,” says Van der Wijden. The attack was deliberate, almost elegant in its simplicity.
However, the team expected repair. Too late. The attacker who seemed to read in his thoughts revived the attack by the same transaction.
“We realized that he could watch our communication,” the developer admits. The race starts against the clock: they filter suspicious transactions without network blocking. The repair, secretly deployed on several nodes, finally stopped the bleeding. At 14:00, the sepolia exhaled again.
Crypto: Safety and Psychology, New Invisible Fores
This incident is not just a technical mistake. It raises a burning question: How to provide protocols designed to be without permission against harmful actors who play with their rules? The defect used was not in a classic sense: the ERC-20 worked perfectly. It is an interaction between this standard and a specific deposit agreement in the separation that caused a breach.
Van der Wijden acknowledges: “We underestimated this limit case. “Euphemism. Because in the crypto” limits “are often a playground of attackers.
Anonymous after this attack has shown a gentle understanding of Ether’s mechanisms. His gesture is less than hacking than a show of power, a reminder that a decentralized network must predict unpredictable.
In the face of this threat, the team has accepted the contrainuitive strategy: not to publish corrective. For what? For fear that the attacker will adapt his methods. “We have discreetly updated our nodes to regain control,” explains Van der Wijden. A decision that combines computer security and mental poker. Because in the cryptal space, any correction can become a double hand of a weapon if it is too exposed.
In parallel, this episode starts a debate on test networks. Sepolia uses another deposit agreement from *Mainnet *, which is a peculiarity that has reduced damage. But the toes, tested at the end of February, have already revealed weaknesses. Evidence that even blockchain test benches require … test benches.
Maximize your Cointribne experience with our “Read to Earn” program! For each article you read, get points and approach exclusive rewards. Sign up now and start to accumulate benefits.
Evariste, fascinated by Bitcoin since 2017, has not stopped documenting on this topic. If his first interest focused on trading, he now tries to actively understand all cryptocurrency progress. As an editor, he tries to permanently provide high quality work that reflects the condition of the sector as a whole.
Renunciation
The words and opinions expressed in this article are involved only by their author and should not be considered investment counseling. Do your own research before any investment decision.