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Ethereum Foundation urges core developers to pause Glamsterdam decisions pending gas audits

The Ethereum Foundation has recommended that core developers hold off on decisions regarding the Glamsterdam upgrade until external audits of proposed gas changes are published, following reports that live contracts could break.

The Ethereum Foundation has requested that Ethereum core developers delay deciding the next steps for the network's Glamsterdam upgrade until third-party security audits are publicly released and reviewed. According to a Nov. 9 blog post by the foundation's Marius van der Wijden, the foundation received four reports highlighting deployed smart contracts that could break under the proposed mechanics of EIP-8037 and EIP-8038. The two proposals adjust gas costs for specific operations and alter how Ethereum charges for state data storage.[2]

The upgrade, which aims to boost Ethereum's per-block gas limit from 60 million to 200 million, previously went live on the Sepolia testnet on Oct. 6. However, developers scrapped a planned Oct. 26 fork on the Hoodi testnet after auditor ChainSecurity flagged an issue where gas spent before a failed call could be refunded under the proposed rules. The foundation is now working through the four issue reports and reaching out to affected teams, while asking contract developers to verify their code against eight invariants published in an online repository.[2]

Auditors ChainSecurity and Dedaub are expected to present their findings on a developer call scheduled for Nov. 16, ahead of an execution-layer All Core Devs call on Nov. 19. While the Ethereum Foundation noted that no decisions have been committed in advance of that meeting, research group Ethlabs separately recommended on Nov. 10 that developers make no decisions until full clarity is reached. Ethlabs noted that none of the flagged vulnerabilities are exploitable on the live network, but indicated it would support modifying specifications or reducing Glamsterdam's scope if audits reveal problems at an unacceptable scale.[1][2][3]

Key facts

  • The Ethereum Foundation received four reports of live, deployed smart contracts that could break under proposed gas changes in EIP-8037 and EIP-8038.
  • EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 alter gas pricing for certain operations and change how Ethereum charges for state storage.
  • The Ethereum Foundation advised All Core Devs to delay spec revisions or scheduling a new Hoodi testnet date until audits by ChainSecurity and Dedaub are public and reviewed.
  • ChainSecurity and Dedaub are scheduled to present audit findings on a Nov. 16 call, followed by an execution-layer call on Nov. 19 with no decision committed in advance.
  • Ethlabs recommended on Nov. 10 that no decision be made on Glamsterdam until clarity is reached, noting the issues are not currently exploitable on mainnet.
  • The Glamsterdam upgrade proposes increasing Ethereum's gas limit per block from 60 million to 200 million.
  • Glamsterdam launched on the Sepolia testnet on Oct. 6, but a planned Oct. 26 fork on the Hoodi testnet was canceled after ChainSecurity identified a gas-refund flaw.

Sources · 3 sources

  1. LS

    Laura Shin@laurashinPost on X ·

    Ethlabs is recommending “no decision on Glamsterdam until clarity is achieved,” while the Ethereum Foundation lines up audit presentations from ChainSecurity and Dedaub for a Nov. 16 developer call. https://t.co/obtMHpj3ny

    Open source
  2. UN

    UnchainedArticle ·

    Ethereum’s Glamsterdam Upgrade Stalls on Gas-Change Risks to Live Contracts, Pending Audits The Ethereum Foundation (EF) is asking Ethereum’s core developers not to decide the next step for Glamsterdam , the network’s next upgrade, until outside audits of its gas changes are public, after it received four reports of live contracts that could break. In a Nov. 9 update , Marius van der Wijden, who wrote the post on the EF’s blog, said that the reports identify deployed contracts “that could break under the proposed changes in EIP-8037 and EIP-8038.” Those two Ethereum Improvement Proposals alter what certain operations cost in gas and how the network charges for storing data, known as state. The foundation said it is working through the reports and reaching out to teams that could be hit, without naming them. Synthetix founder Kain Warwick, discussing the October testnet cancellation, pointed to the scale of what sits onchain. “There’s so many contracts. There’s so many things to keep in mind,” he said on Unchained’s Uneasy Money , adding that “there is something to be said for, like, Ethereum’s slow, cautious approach to the world.” Get Unchained’s crypto news in your inbox with the free Unchained Daily newsletter . Audit Results Due Next Week The EF recommended that All Core Devs (ACD), the recurring calls where client teams set upgrade plans, wait “until the audit findings are public and there has been time to review them” before deciding on any spec revision or a new Hoodi date. Hoodi is an Ethereum test network. Several possible revisions are already being prototyped, it said. The sources give different dates for the audits. The EF’s schedule says engagements with auditors ChainSecurity and Dedaub end Nov. 13, with reports delivered and published. Ethlabs put publication at “by Monday, November 16th,” and the agenda for the Nov. 16 testing call lists completion as expected between Nov. 16 and Nov. 19. The auditors and the EF are set to present findings on Nov. 16, followed by an execution-layer call on Nov. 19 that the EF said has no decision committed in advance. Ethlabs Weighs In Ethlabs , which said it has been monitoring and triaging reports for more than two weeks, recommended on Nov. 10 “no decision on Glamsterdam until clarity is achieved.” It said “none of these are currently exploitable,” and that the issues apply only if Glamsterdam ships under its current specifications. Ethlabs said in the post that if the audits turn up problems on an unacceptable scale, it would back spec changes or even “significantly reviewing the scope of Glamsterdam.” Glamsterdam would raise the gas limit per block to 200 million , more than three times the current 60 million . Developers scrapped its planned Oct. 26 Hoodi fork after ChainSecurity described how gas spent before a failed call could come back under the new rules. The upgrade went live on the Sepolia testnet on Oct. 6, as Unchained reported . The EF has asked contract developers to check their code against eight invariants listed in a public repository and report any problems to glamsterdam@ethereum.org. Related Listen: Can ETHlabs Escape the Ethereum Foundation’s Habits? : Uneasy Money The post Ethereum’s Glamsterdam Upgrade Stalls on Gas-Change Risks to Live Contracts, Pending Audits appeared first on Unchained .

    Open source
  3. CB

    Crypto BriefingArticle ·

    Ethereum Foundation urges delay on Glamsterdam upgrade pending gas audits Delaying the Glamsterdam upgrade highlights the critical need for thorough audits to ensure network stability and protect existing contracts. The post Ethereum Foundation urges delay on Glamsterdam upgrade pending gas audits appeared first on Crypto Briefing .

    Open source