Share this article
Open Ethereum Clients Encounter ‘Consensus Error’ After Berlin Hard Fork; Coinbase Pauses ETH Withdrawals
The bug only affects the Open Ethereum client and occurred in the wake of today's Berlin hard fork.
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 12:41 p.m. Published Apr 15, 2021, 2:00 p.m. 1 min read
A consensus issue with the Open Ethereum client disrupted block production a few hours after today's Berlin hard fork. The Open Ethereum team fixed the flaw some hours after it arose.
An open GitHub issue for the software version states there was a “node issue after Berlin hard fork, not [sic] sync after block 12244294." The GitHub page’s comments include numerous Open Ethereum users whose nodes were knocked out of sync by the bug.
The Open Ethereum software version supports 12% of nodes on the Ethereum network.
Notably, the bug did not affect nodes running Ethereum’s most used client, Go Ethereum.
There is an @OpenEthereumOrg Mainnet Node issue after Berlin hard fork, not syncing after block 12244294 #Ethereum #BerlinUpgrade #berlinhardfork https://t.co/i8clZPdwu9
— Klaus Gravenreuth (@KGravenreuth) April 15, 2021
Coinbase pauses ETH withdrawals
Seemingly in response to the issue, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has disabled ETH and ERC-20 withdrawals, according to a tweet.
A Coinbase Support alert called "Ethereum Berlin Network Upgrade" noted that withdrawals were halted from both Coinbase and Coinbase Pro. Other services that relied on Open Ethereum like the Ethereum block explorer Etherscan and custodian BitGo were also affected by the bug.
Coinbase, the largest U.S. exchange, went public yesterday through a direct listing on Nasdaq.
Nate DiCamillo contributed reporting. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Updated April 15, 2021, 15:49 UTC: This article was updated to reflect that the Open Ethereum team has patched the consensus issue.
More For You
Andrew Gault, the venture capitalist who funded the quantum hardware labs now threatening bitcoin, says the industry is looking in the wrong place. Google's own security team moved in the same direction in March.
What to know:
- Security experts warn that the most urgent quantum threat to bitcoin and the broader financial system is not wallet keys but the encrypted authentication data already moving between institutions and being quietly harvested today.
- Adversaries are pursuing a “harvest now, decrypt later” strategy, stockpiling encrypted interbank messages, payment records and...
Top Stories
