The Ethereum beacon chain recorded a major slash event on September 10th, with 40 validators being punished for pushing contradictory proofs.
The first report pointed out validator nodes related to Stakefi, AllNodes, and SSV networks. However, further investigations on the chain showed that most affected operators were connected to the ANKR.
The beacon chain was “reduced” 0.3 ETH, which was worth around $1,300 at the time. If similar losses occur across the group, the cumulative penalty could exceed $52,000.
What was wrong?
In many cases, thrashing occurs when verifiers act against consensus rules by publishing inconsistent proofs.
Preston Vanloon, Ethereum’s core developer, explained that such errors usually appear when the ballot key is executed across multiple environments. In such a situation, a node may see different views of the chain, leading to double sign-in and automatic penalties.
He said:
“These validators have published conflicting proofs.”
Vanloon further agreed that the issue could be attributed to a blunder that affected companies committed while moving verifyers.
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It is brought about by encryption
Meanwhile, the Ethereum developers emphasized that despite the fines, the validator must continue to work until it leaves the network.
According to him:
“Thrashed Validators are obligated to continue their duties until they leave. If they are offline during the exit queue, a Liveton penalty will apply.
Ethereum thrashing
Apart from the recent ones, mass slashes remain a rare occurrence in Ethereum, as evidenced by the fact that there were only 15 cases this year. Migalabs data shows that since 2020, only 525 validators have faced novel penalties.
However, history shows how quickly these events escalate and lead to sudden economic losses. In November 2023, nearly 100 valid people tied to Bitcoin Suisse lost nearly $200,000 as they were cut to submit false proof.
These cases highlight how operational errors cause immediate financial consequences for systems that enforce consensus through the economic sector.
