Ethereum postpones Glamsterdam testnet upgrade after security risks identified

Ethereum cancels Glamsterdam testnet upgrade

Ethereum developers have cancelled the scheduled upgrade of the Glamsterdam network on the Hoodi testnet, which was originally planned for October 26. The Foundation made the announcement on October 22 to pause the activation and investigate how proposed changes to the network's gas system might impact existing smart contracts.

The cancellation follows a security report from blockchain research firm ChainSecurity, which identified potential vulnerabilities in current decentralized finance applications. As a result, developers are also suspending the planned test to increase Hoodi's gas limit to 200 million.

13 smart contract risks found

ChainSecurity’s investigation into two proposed rule changes, EIP-8037 and EIP-8038, identified 13 real-world examples of smart contracts that could be negatively affected. EIP-8037 creates a separate gas reserve for creating blockchain state, while EIP-8038 adjusts the cost of accessing and modifying existing state.

The firm warned that these changes could disrupt how applications handle failed transactions. Under current rules, a failed operation often forces a broader transaction to revert. The proposed changes could allow contracts to record an operation as permanently unsuccessful, potentially preventing users from retrying valid operations. ChainSecurity noted it is now conducting responsible disclosure with the affected projects.

Ethereum's official response

The Ethereum Foundation confirmed the delay following an All Core Developers Execution meeting on October 22. The team agreed to delay the upgrade until further investigations into EIP-8037 and its interactions with mainnet contracts are completed. Christine Kim, founder of Protocol Watch, initially disclosed the cancellation and advised Hoodi node operators to revert to older software versions or install updated execution clients that remove the scheduled activation.

The setback for the December target

The cancellation places Ethereum's goal of delivering the Glamsterdam upgrade by the end of 2026 at risk. The upgrade was originally targeted for the first half of 2026 but has already slipped to a December schedule. While developers had considered activation dates in early December, no mainnet schedule has been finalized. The Glamsterdam upgrade is expected to introduce block-level access lists and proposer-builder separation to increase transaction capacity.

Where the information is confirmed

• The Glamsterdam testnet upgrade on the Hoodi network was officially cancelled on October 22, 2026.
• ChainSecurity identified 13 real-world examples of smart contracts that could be affected by the proposed gas changes.
• The planned test to increase Hoodi's gas limit to 200 million is suspended.

Areas that remain unclear

• It is not yet known how many total applications are exposed to the security risks identified by ChainSecurity.
• A new mainnet activation date for the Glamsterdam upgrade has not been finalized.
• The exact consequences of the gas changes on decentralized finance operations are still being investigated.

Why this matters for Ethereum users

This delay is significant for users of decentralized finance (DeFi) applications on Ethereum, particularly those relying on automated failure recovery for withdrawals and batched transactions. Ensuring that proposed gas accounting changes do not introduce new attack vectors or break existing contracts is a critical priority for the Ethereum community before the upgrade can be deployed to the main network.

Next steps for the network

Developers are currently investigating the security risks and the scope of affected applications. Node operators are advised to wait for official updates before making changes to their execution clients.

Sources

• CryptoSlate