Chainlink adds custom checks to bridge software after $292M rival hack
Security & Exploits ·
The oracle network has rolled out enhanced security verification for its cross-chain bridge software following a $292 million exploit at a competing bridge that exposed weaknesses in how such systems validate transfers.
Chainlink updated its bridge technology with custom security checks, a move reported by Coindesk months after the $292 million hack shook the industry. The update is designed to address specific vulnerabilities that were exploited in the rival incident, though the exact technical details of the custom checks have not been disclosed.
Bridges are software systems that let value and data move between separate blockchains, typically by locking, minting, or burning tokens tied to events on another chain. Because they connect otherwise isolated networks, they have become one of the most frequently attacked components in crypto infrastructure, a pattern documented across a range of incidents, including bridge hacks that drained tens of millions of dollars from Fantom, Moonriver, and Dogechain in mid-2023, according to background compiled by leviathan.news.
The update is part of a broader industry pattern in which bridge operators respond to hacks elsewhere by hardening their own systems rather than waiting for an exploit against their own infrastructure. Two distinct sources are tracking this development, both pointing to Chainlink's response as a direct reaction to the $292 million incident rather than an unprompted upgrade.
What remains unclear is whether the custom checks would have prevented the type of exploit that hit the rival bridge, and whether other bridge providers are making comparable changes. Also unresolved is the timeline for full deployment across Chainlink's bridge infrastructure and whether any third-party audit has verified the effectiveness of the new checks.