Ethereum delays Glamsterdam testnet upgrade over smart contract gas risks
Ethereum developers have postponed the Glamsterdam hard fork on the Hoodi testnet ahead of its scheduled October 26 launch to investigate security risks tied to proposed gas accounting changes.
Ethereum core developers have postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet just days before its scheduled October 26 activation. The decision halts the network's planned testnet launch to allow developers to investigate potential compatibility and security vulnerabilities between proposed gas rules and existing smart contracts.[2][3][5][8]
The pause stems from findings by blockchain security firm ChainSecurity regarding EIP-8037 and EIP-8038, which alter how Ethereum charges gas for creating and accessing state. According to ChainSecurity, the modifications could cause transaction failure paths that previously reverted to instead complete, turning retryable contract operations into permanent failures. The firm identified 13 real-world smart contracts potentially affected by the changes and began coordinating responsible disclosures with the impacted projects.[3][4][6][7]
Following the discovery, Ethereum Foundation DevOps engineer Barnabas Busa unscheduled the fork in Hoodi's shared configuration files. The rollback removed the Amsterdam execution-layer activation time, the Gloas consensus-layer upgrade, and a scheduled increase of Hoodi's gas limit to 200 million. Node operators have been instructed to update client software or adjust configurations so their nodes do not trigger the fork at the previous timestamp. Developers have not yet set a replacement date for the Hoodi testnet activation.[2][3][8]
Key facts
- Ethereum core developers postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet, which was scheduled to activate on Oct. 26.
- ChainSecurity warned that gas changes in EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 could allow previously reverting failure paths to complete, turning retryable calls into permanent failures.
- ChainSecurity identified 13 real-world examples of smart contracts vulnerable to the proposed gas accounting updates.
- A planned increase in the Hoodi testnet gas limit to 200 million was canceled alongside the postponement.
- Hoodi node operators must update client software or configurations to avoid activating the fork at the originally scheduled timestamp.
- No replacement date has been announced for the Hoodi testnet upgrade or subsequent mainnet activation.
Sources · 8 sources
- CB
Crypto Banter@crypto_banterPost on X ·
🚨ETHEREUM DELAYS GLAMSTERDAM TESTNET UPGRADE FOR SAFETY REVIEW! The Ethereum Foundation has postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet, which was set for October 26. Core developers need more time to check how EIP-8037 (a gas/state pricing change) interacts with existing mainnet smart contracts. No new date has been set.
Open source - WB
Wu Blockchain@WuBlockchainPost on X ·
Ethereum Postpones Glamsterdam Upgrade on Hoodi Testnet Over EIP-8037 Compatibility Concerns According to the Ethereum Foundation, Ethereum core developers have postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet, originally scheduled for October 26, to further investigate compatibility concerns between EIP-8037's gas accounting changes and existing mainnet smart contracts. The planned increase of Hoodi's gas limit to 200 million has also been canceled. Node operators must update their clients to prevent activation of the fork as originally scheduled. New dates for the Hoodi upgrade and mainnet activation have not yet been determined.
Open source - UN
UnchainedArticle ·
Ethereum Scraps Glamsterdam’s Hoodi Fork After ChainSecurity Flags Gas Risks Ethereum developers have called off Glamsterdam’s activation on the Hoodi testnet , four days before the upgrade was due to go live there. The decision leaves the network’s next hard fork without its final public test date, and with it the trigger for picking a mainnet date. Christine D. Kim, founder of research and advisory firm Protocol Watch, said in a post on X on Oct. 22 that the cancellation was “due to security issues found in” Glamsterdam by the security firm ChainSecurity . Get Unchained’s crypto news in your inbox with the free Unchained Daily newsletter . Gas Accounting Concerns ChainSecurity’s Oct. 13 analysis focused on EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 , two Glamsterdam proposals that change how Ethereum charges gas for creating and accessing state. The firm warned that code handling a failed call could behave differently after the upgrade even if no one edits it. “Even with unchanged contract code, a failure path that previously reverted can now complete,” it wrote, adding that continuing in that situation “can turn a retryable operation into a permanent failure.” A day before the Oct. 22 All Core Devs Execution call, security researcher pcaversaccio asked developers on GitHub to discuss the findings, writing that “these findings call for a reassessment of this hard fork” while noting the decision was not his to make. What Node Operators Need to Do Kim’s message to operators , posted on X minutes before her post on the cause, gave them two choices: “revert to an older release without the Hoodi upgrade scheduled,” or hold off until their execution-layer client publishes an update that drops it. Besu developers merged a pull request titled “Unschedule Amsterdam on Hoodi” on Oct. 22, but merging code does not update nodes already running the old build. The PR states that Hoodi nodes on Besu 26.10.0 “still activate Amsterdam at that timestamp until they run a release with this change.” On the network’s side, Barnabas Busa, who works on DevOps at the Ethereum Foundation, unscheduled the fork in Hoodi’s shared configuration files. That took out the Amsterdam start time set for Oct. 26 , the Gloas fork at epoch 132,352 and a scheduled jump in Hoodi’s gas limit to 200 million at that epoch, returning the files to how they looked before the fork was scheduled. December Candidates Hinged on Hoodi The agenda for the Oct. 22 call listed Dec. 1, Dec. 8 and Dec. 9 as candidate mainnet dates, with a plan to pick one on the following week’s consensus-layer call “if Hoodi goes smoothly.” Glamsterdam, which would move proposer-builder separation into the protocol (EIP-7732) and add block-level access lists (EIP-7928), went live on the Sepolia testnet on Oct. 6 . The Ethereum Foundation announced the Hoodi schedule on Oct. 16. Neither Busa’s rollback nor Kim’s posts named a new date for the Hoodi test. Related Listen: Is Ethereum’s Real Problem Debate, Not Tech? – Uneasy Money The post Ethereum Scraps Glamsterdam’s Hoodi Fork After ChainSecurity Flags Gas Risks appeared first on Unchained .
Open source - DE
DecryptArticle ·
Ethereum Delays Glamsterdam Testnet Fork Over Gas Security Flaws The Hoodi testnet fork is off after ChainSecurity found gas changes that could let contracts lock in failures, citing 13 real-world cases.
Open source - CR
CryptoSlateArticle ·
Ethereum’s long-awaited Glamsterdam upgrade hits another roadblock as 13 security risks emerge Ethereum developers have postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on a major test network after identifying potential security risks affecting existing smart contracts. The Ethereum Foundation confirmed on Oct. 22 that the upgrade, scheduled for Oct. 26 on the Hoodi testnet, would no longer proceed as planned. Developers agreed to investigate how a proposed change to Ethereum's… Read the full story on CryptoSlate Understand the crypto stories that matter and what to watch next. Get The Catalyst in your inbox
Open source - CR
CryptoSlate@CryptoSlatePost on X ·
Ethereum has canceled Glamsterdam's Oct. 26 Hoodi testnet activation as @chain_security reports 13 real-world examples of contract risk. Proposed gas changes could permanently record deliberate out-of-gas failures and block retries. via @hardeyjumoh https://t.co/IlLB6GAXa1
Open source - CT
Coin TelegraphArticle ·
Ethereum delays Glamsterdam Hoodi testnet launch over security risks ChainSecurity said it identified 13 real-world examples of smart contracts potentially affected by Glamsterdam’s gas changes and is coordinating responsible disclosure with affected projects.
Open source - CN
crypto.news@cryptodotnewsPost on X ·
JUST IN: Ethereum delays Glamsterdam upgrade on Hoodi testnet The Ethereum Foundation postponed the Oct. 26 activation to review how EIP-8037 interacts with mainnet smart contracts, with no new date announced. https://t.co/F2HmXs1meR
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