Cardano’s Chaos: AI Attack Shatters Blockchain

Markets

What to know:

A malformed transaction pushed Cardano into a brief chain split on Saturday, as older and newer node versions validated transaction data submitted to the network differently. It was like trying to have a tea party with a toddler – chaos, confusion, and everyone going their own way. 🍵 😭

The mismatch caused some block producers to follow a “poisoned” chain while others stayed on the normal one, prompting an emergency patch and network-wide upgrade instructions. It’s the digital equivalent of a family feud that turns into a full-blown civil war. 🧨

The incident – which has since been traced to a wallet belonging to a former testnet participant – is being investigated as a potential cyberattack. Someone’s idea of a prank is now a lesson in “don’t try this at home.” 🚨

Cardano ecosystem governance body Intersect said in a post-mortem report that the divergence emerged when newer nodes accepted a malformed transaction that older nodes rejected. It’s like a game of telephone where everyone’s lying about what they heard. 🗣️

The inconsistency exploited a bug in an underlying software library that validation logic failed to trap. If only the software had a “don’t be a hero” mode. 🧠

Devs rushed to deploy patched node software, and operators were instructed to upgrade to rejoin the canonical chain. It’s like a tech version of “everyone back to your seats, we’re starting over.” 🚀

Exchanges and wallet providers paused deposits and withdrawals throughout the incident as a precaution, though Intersect said no user funds were lost and most retail wallets were insulated because they relied on components that safely ignored the malformed transaction. Phew, no one’s wallet turned into a black hole. 🌌

Cardano co-founder Charles Hoskinson characterized the event as a targeted, premeditated attack by a disgruntled stake-pool operator who had been seeking ways “to harm the brand and reputation” of Input Output Global (IOG). Someone’s grudge is bigger than a blockchain. 😡

He warned the disruption affected all users from block producers losing rewards to DeFi protocols encountering inconsistent state and said restoring full network uniformity could take weeks. Welcome to the digital version of “I’ll be back.” 🕰️

Meanwhile, an X user posting as “Homer J.” claimed responsibility, saying he acted alone, did not short or sell ADA, and did not intend to cause harm. “I’m ashamed of my carelessness,” he wrote. “I didn’t have evil intentions, but I endangered the network and caused unnecessary stress.” Classic “I didn’t mean to break the internet” energy. 😅

The user said he relied on AI-generated terminal commands to block external traffic while trying to replicate the malformed transaction and only realized the extent of the disruption when block explorers froze. AI, the ultimate “I’ll just press enter and see what happens” tool. 🤖

“I’m ashamed of my carelessness,” he wrote. “I didn’t have evil intentions, but I endangered the network and caused unnecessary stress.” Sure, because nothing says “I’m sorry” like accidentally splitting a blockchain. 🙏

ADA fell more than 6% following the disruption, leading losses among major tokens, as traders likely reacted to the apparent lack of coordinating large-scale upgrades in decentralized proof-of-stake networks. The market’s reaction was as dramatic as a soap opera. 🎭

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2025-11-23 15:54