Shiba Inu Reinstates BONE Transfers on Shibarium’s Plasma Bridge
In a significant development for the Shiba Inu community, the BONE transfers on Shibarium’s Plasma bridge have been resumed, allowing seamless deposits and withdrawals between Ethereum and the layer-2 network. This follows a temporary cessation due to a security breach. On October 14, core contributor Kaal Dhairya announced that after a meticulous review and implementation of robust security upgrades, the Plasma Bridge is now operational, providing users with a more secure and fortified experience.
Revival of the Shibarium Bridge
The reinstatement comes after a period of suspension that began in mid-September. This pause was necessitated by a compromise of validator keys, which permitted a malicious exit on the Proof of Stake (PoS) bridge. In a detailed report dated September 21, Dhairya elaborated on the incident, revealing that on September 12, unauthorized validator signing power was exploited to facilitate a malicious exit, leading to the withdrawal of multiple assets. Immediate containment strategies were deployed, and a comprehensive security fortification was initiated. The team assured stakeholders of a thorough technical disclosure once it was deemed safe, maintaining restricted bridging during the containment phase.
Advertisement Banner
Phased Restoration and New Security Protocols
The reopening of the BONE bridge marks the commencement of a phased restoration of services, underpinned by newly instituted policy-level and operational controls. A notable change for users is the introduction of a mandatory delay before withdrawals are finalized. All BONE Plasma withdrawals now require a 7-day finalization period. This interval grants operators and security teams the necessary time to monitor and address any suspicious activities, thereby enhancing security without compromising user accessibility. This delay is positioned as a reinforcement of Plasma’s fraud-resistant guarantees.
Innovative Security Measures
Among the new security measures is the proactive blacklisting of suspicious addresses at the bridge layer. This mechanism enables the team to identify and block potentially harmful addresses, preventing recurrent abuse within the ecosystem. Additionally, critical code changes have undergone an independent review by Hexens, ensuring an added layer of expert validation. The relaunch followed a rigorous validation process, which included unit tests, end-to-end simulations, deployment on the public testnet (“Puppynet”), and extensive monitoring before going live.
Addressing the September Incident
The October 14 update also touches upon a separate issue from the September incident involving KNINE and OSCAR token flows. The Shiba Inu team reported that the attacker managed to withdraw and sell approximately $600 worth of OSCAR tokens from the bridge, while ignoring a 5 ETH recovery offer for KNINE tokens. These tokens remain blacklisted and unusable. Although the previously announced KNINE bounty has expired, the team is considering offering a final, conditional bounty for the complete return of all KNINE tokens held by attacker-controlled addresses, emphasizing that partial returns will not be eligible.
Future Roadmap and Safety Measures
Currently, only BONE is live on the Plasma bridge, but Shibarium has indicated plans for a broader rollout. The team is working on gradually re-enabling other tokens and finalizing a fair and transparent repayment framework for affected users, with details to be disclosed when the risk of exploitation is minimized. The post highlights the cautious approach adopted following the September breach, prioritizing safety and providing verifiable updates.
Behind-the-Scenes Remediation
The month-long pause underscores the extensive remediation efforts undertaken behind the scenes. In late September, Shibarium detailed various security enhancements, including the rotation of validator signers, migration to multi-party hardware custody for contract control, targeted contract-level protections, live monitoring, exchange coordination, and the engagement of independent security specialists. The September 21 update also acknowledged weaknesses in validator operations, outlining a hardening plan developed in collaboration with Hexens, with restoration contingent on third-party approvals and successful test drills.
Restoring Critical Pathways
For now, the reopening reinstates a vital pathway for validators, liquidity providers, and users relying on BONE’s mobility between Ethereum and Shibarium. The new safeguards, including address blacklisting and the 7-day challenge window, aim to align the bridge’s user experience with the operational realities of a Plasma-style system under adversarial conditions. Each measure emphasizes the core principle of community protection.
As of the latest update, the Shiba Inu (SHIB) token is trading at $0.00001060.
Our Editorial Standards
At Bitcoinist, our editorial process is dedicated to delivering well-researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We adhere to strict sourcing standards, with each article undergoing thorough review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This rigorous process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.
