Nethermind Client Software Error Affects Ethereum Validators
In the early hours of January 22, the Execution Client software of Nethermind encountered an error, causing numerous Ethereum validators to malfunction.
The issue was identified and reported by the community on social media platform X to the software provider, Nethermind. The problem stemmed from the consensus mechanism of the software and occurred at block number 19056922.
We have lost around 10% of validators on the last epochs.
— GaetanSemp.eth (@GaetanSemp) January 21, 2024
I think it comes from Nethermind but I am not sure yet.
Anyone has a confirmation ?@NethermindEth @superphiz @parithosh_j ? pic.twitter.com/Hg5OvFJZnN
As a result of this incident, 10% of validators were unable to participate in network consensus, with the participation rate dropping to as low as 85% at times.
The Nethermind team quickly confirmed the presence of a bug in their software and promptly released a patched version. They recommended that validators immediately upgrade to the new version, 1.25.2, to avoid encountering similar issues.
Daniel C, CTO of Nethermind, acknowledged the severity of the incident but expressed gratitude for the community's support, which enabled the team to deploy the fix quickly on Sunday evening.
On one hand, it's not very pleasant to have a critical bug, but on the other, it's heartwarming to see almost the entire @NethermindEth Core team working on the fix on Sunday night! Thanks also to @vdWijden and @parithosh_j for joining the call🙏
— DanielC (@_D4nie1_) January 21, 2024
According to data from Client Diversity, Nethermind accounts for 8.18% of the market share in the Execution Client category, making it the second most used software after Geth, which dominates with 84%.
Earlier in January 2024, another Execution Client, Besu, also faced issues affecting Ethereum validators.
Although the current market shares of Besu and Nethermind are not very large, their impact on the network is relatively contained. However, the Ethereum community is currently concerned that any errors in Geth, with its 84% market share, could prevent Ethereum validators from operating the network, significantly affecting the blockchain's integrity.
