Ethereum experienced a rare cutting event on Wednesday, with 39 penalized validators, according to blockchain beaconcha explorer.
The validators were linked to the SSV network, a distributed validator technology (DVP) Protocol that decentralizes the rethinking infrastructure by dividing the validator keys into multiple operators.
Despite the incident scale, the founder of SSV, Alon Muroch, emphasized that the protocol itself was not compromised. On the other hand, the sanctions were derived from the infrastructure problems on the side of the operator that involved third -party rethink suppliers that use SSV.
A group of cut validators was linked to Ankr, a liquid rethinking provider. According to Muroch, routine maintenance in ANKR systems triggered the event. A second cut implied a validator cluster that had migrated from Allnods two months before. Researchers believe that a secondary validator configuration caused the duplicate firm that led to sanctions.
In total, 39 validators were cut, which makes this one of the largest correlated cutting events from Ethereum’s transition to the participation test. Each cut validator faces an immediate ETH penalty and could face inactivity leaks, composite losses. A validator, backed by a participation of 2,020 ETH, lost around 0.3 ETH, or around $ 1,300 at today’s prices, in the process.
While the Court is integrated into the design of Ethereum as a deterrent against malicious or negligent behavior, it remains extremely rare. Less than 500 validators have been reduced from more than 1.2 million assets since the beacon chain was directed in 2020. Most of the incidents, including this, have tracked to the operator’s problems instead of deliberate attacks.
Mass cuts are particularly notable because correlated bad behavior increases the severity of sanctions. The Ethereum protocol applies additional inactivity leaks when validated groups are cut together, amplifying the financial impact.
For the Ethereum ecosystem, the last wave underlines a family but critical lesson: the security of validator depends on both the infrastructure and the diligence of the operator and in the protocol itself. Even when the underlying software is not compromised, operational errors may have expensive and very public consequences.
Read more: ‘Keep it simple’: prevent your Eth 2.0 from being cut
