Hyperledger has released an incident report detailing the recent Arbitrum bridge failure, which was attributed to an extremely rare edge case. The bridge, used for connecting decentralized applications with Ethereum Layer 2, experienced downtime for approximately four hours.
The incident was explained by pseudonymous developer iliensinc, who noted that multiple Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) were served incorrect data during the monitoring process. This led to validators voting for an emergency lock of the bridge.
According to iliensinc, the Arbitrum bridge was automatically locked by the L1 validators, a proactive measure designed to ensure the synchronization of states between L1 and Arbitrum. Although only two validators are typically required for such a lockdown, all four validators voted for temporary closure.
Iliensinc emphasized that the locking mechanism is a last resort to prevent potential exploits, aiming to safeguard user funds. The team is currently working on improving the monitoring systems to prevent similar incidents in the future, reassuring users that all funds remain safe.
This incident marks the first downtime for Hyperliquid since its launch last year, where nearly $700 million in total value is locked. As with many new DeFi projects, Hyperliquid has utilized points programs to incentivize user engagement.
