• Shibarium faced a coordinated attack involving fake checkpoints and a 4.6M BONE stake.
• Developers restored system integrity with asset recovery, validator key rotations, and new blacklisting controls.
• Security partner Hexens.io independently reviewed every step to ensure long-term resilience.

Shibarium, the Layer-2 network built around the Shiba Inu ecosystem, recently faced one of its most serious challenges. A malicious actor injected three fake checkpoints into Ethereum mainnet contracts that secure Shibarium’s bridge. This broke continuity between Heimdall’s local state and the on-chain ledger, forcing the system to halt.

The attacker simultaneously tried to exploit the protocol with a 4.6 million BONE token delegation, briefly crossing thresholds designed to safeguard validator operations. The incident exposed critical vulnerabilities in checkpointing and staking, but also triggered a fast and coordinated defense from Shibarium developers, supported by security firm Hexens.io.

According to blockchain security researcher John Farrel, the attack showed how fragile bridge infrastructure can be, especially when checkpoint logic is targeted. He noted that quick intervention likely prevented deeper systemic damage.

Also Read: Shibarium Upgrade Live: What the Shib Alpha Bridge Means for BONE and TREAT

Blacklist System Blocks Malicious Wallet Activity

Developers worked around the clock for more than 10 days, splitting duties across infrastructure, validator operations, and contract reviews. Every sensitive change was tested on Devnet and Puppynet before deployment to Mainnet.

A new method in the StakeManager allowed the team to rescue the attacker’s 4.6 million BONE tokens and remove the malicious delegation. The system also introduced a blacklist feature, ensuring flagged addresses cannot stake, unstake, or claim rewards in the future. Withdrawal delays were extended from one to thirty checkpoints, giving validators a 24-hour window to detect abnormal behavior.

Validator signer keys were rotated across the network to remove any chance of exposure from the earlier state. More than 100 mission-critical contracts linked to Shibarium, ShibaSwap, and the Shiba Metaverse were also migrated to wallets with multi-party security procedures. Independent audits by Hexens confirmed the effectiveness of these measures.

Shibarium Team Works 10 Days Nonstop to Secure Network

To fix the checkpoint divergence, developers used a protocol maintenance tool to roll back the ledger pointer to the last secure state. Heimdall then resumed posting valid checkpoints, restoring bridge continuity. The procedure was validated in test environments before being carried out on Mainnet.

Looking ahead, the team plans to introduce proactive deny-list controls in the Plasma Bridge and phase in user withdrawals with tighter monitoring. A partnership with dRPC.org will provide new RPC nodes to strengthen access and reliability.

Industry observers believe the swift recovery shows Shibarium’s resilience, but caution that bridge protocols remain high-value targets in the broader crypto landscape.

Also Read: Shiba Inu Revamps Developer Hub to Power Shibarium and Alpha Layer Growth