Solana Devs Secure Network Amid Major Security Threat

Solana developers, validators, and client teams managed a serious security issue by ensuring a majority of the network's stake was secured before the public was informed.

On Wednesday, August 7, 2024, the Solana Foundation began reaching out to network operators through private channels, as reported by Solana validator Laine. This was part of a strategy to discreetly address the vulnerability and prevent its exploitation.

Laine explained that the patch was provided via an Anza engineer’s GitHub, allowing operators to verify and apply the fix on their own. By Thursday, August 8, at 14:00 UTC, detailed patch instructions were distributed to stakeholders, securing 66.6% of the network’s stake.

The issue was disclosed to the public after 70% of the network had been patched. Following this, Solana Labs announced on Discord, urging the remaining operators to update their systems.

The message stated: “Core contributors have identified a network security issue that requires an urgent response. v1.18.21 with a patch will be available in 30 minutes. Please be prepared to upgrade as soon as the announcement is sent.”