Overview
- A crafted malformed delegation transaction exploited a legacy deserialization/cryptographic library bug, creating a “poisoned” branch and a parallel healthy chain.
- Engineers issued emergency hotfixes and node upgrades (notably 10.5.2/10.5.3), restoring convergence without halting block production or losing user funds.
- Exchanges and service providers paused deposits and withdrawals as a precaution and are preparing to resume as resynchronization proceeds.
- Forensics flagged a wallet linked to a former testnet participant, an X user calling himself Homer J. admitted submitting the transaction, and authorities including the FBI were engaged.
- Charles Hoskinson described the event as a targeted attack by a disgruntled stake‑pool operator, a characterization that drew pushback in a public exchange with Solana’s Anatoly Yakovenko; ADA fell more than 6% during the disruption.