Shibarium, the Layer-2 blockchain network for Shiba Inu, suffered a targeted security breach in September when an attacker compromised a validator key and exploited a temporary delegation of 4.6 million BONE tokens to attempt control over network consensus. While the breach did not stem from core protocol flaws, it exposed vulnerabilities in external validator credential access, risking potential data corruption and network destabilization. The incident forced a temporary halt in operations, though developers swiftly deployed mitigations including a validator blacklisting system and a 7-day withdrawal delay on the Plasma Bridge to prevent recurrence. The attack did not result in direct financial theft or large-scale user data exposure, but it undermined trust in the network’s decentralization and highlighted centralization risks tied to reliance on limited public RPC nodes. Post-incident, Shibarium’s transaction volume and user activity remained robust, with no reported loss of funds or irreversible damage to the blockchain’s integrity.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/shibainutoken
"id": "shi0802208110325",
"linkid": "shibainutoken",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "9/2025",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '272 million wallet addresses '
'(no direct user data '
'compromise)',
'industry': 'Cryptocurrency/DeFi',
'location': 'Global',
'name': 'Shibarium Network',
'type': 'Blockchain'}],
'attack_vector': ['Compromised Validator Credentials',
'Exploitation of Centralized RPC Endpoints'],
'customer_advisories': ['No direct user action required; network operations '
'restored',
'Transparency on security measures to rebuild '
'confidence'],
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'No evidence',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'No',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (validator keys could enable '
'network consensus attacks)',
'type_of_data_compromised': 'Validator Credentials (No User '
'Data or Core Protocol)'},
'date_detected': '2023-09',
'date_resolved': '2023-09',
'description': 'The Shibarium network experienced a security incident in '
'September where an attacker compromised a validator key and '
'exploited a temporary delegation of 4.6 million BONE tokens, '
'attempting to gain control over the network consensus. The '
'incident did not expose core protocol flaws but stemmed from '
'external access to validator credentials. The team responded '
'with security upgrades, including deactivating the legacy '
'public RPC endpoint to reduce centralization risks, '
'implementing a validator blacklisting system, and introducing '
'a seven-day withdrawal delay for the Plasma Bridge. Network '
'operations resumed shortly after patches were deployed, with '
'no extended downtime reported.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': ['Temporary Erosion of Confidence '
'(mitigated by proactive upgrades)',
'Positive Recovery Signals via Robust '
'Network Activity'],
'data_compromised': 'No (core protocol unaffected; validator '
'credentials targeted)',
'downtime': 'Minimal (network operations resumed shortly after '
'patches)',
'identity_theft_risk': 'No',
'operational_impact': ['Temporary Deactivation of Legacy Public '
'RPC Endpoint (2-week transition)',
'Seven-Day Withdrawal Delay for Plasma '
'Bridge'],
'payment_information_risk': 'No',
'systems_affected': ['Validator Nodes',
'Plasma Bridge',
'Public RPC Endpoint']},
'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': 'Compromised Validator Key',
'high_value_targets': ['Network Consensus Mechanism',
'BONE Token Delegation']},
'investigation_status': 'Resolved (with ongoing infrastructure upgrades)',
'lessons_learned': ['Centralization of public RPC endpoints creates single '
'points of failure.',
'Validator credential security is critical to preventing '
'consensus attacks.',
'Proactive measures (e.g., withdrawal delays) can '
'mitigate exploitation risks.'],
'motivation': ['Network Control',
'Potential Financial Gain (via BONE token manipulation)'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Decommissioning legacy '
'public RPC endpoint',
'Validator blacklisting '
'system',
'Plasma Bridge withdrawal '
'delay',
'Encouraging distributed '
'RPC provider adoption'],
'root_causes': ['Over-reliance on centralized '
'public RPC nodes',
'Insufficient protection for '
'validator credentials',
'Lack of real-time validation for '
'token delegations']},
'recommendations': ['Decentralize RPC infrastructure to reduce attack '
'surface.',
'Implement multi-layered validator authentication.',
'Regularly audit delegation mechanisms for governance '
'tokens.',
'Enhance real-time monitoring for suspicious validator '
'activity.'],
'references': [{'source': 'Shibarium Official Announcement (Security '
'Upgrade)'},
{'source': 'Network Activity Metrics (Transactions, Wallets, '
'Smart Contracts)'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['Public Announcement of Security '
'Upgrades',
'Transparency on Incident Root Cause'],
'containment_measures': ['Isolation of Compromised Validator '
'Nodes',
'Temporary Freeze of BONE Token '
'Bridging'],
'enhanced_monitoring': 'Yes (implied via validator blacklisting '
'and withdrawal delays)',
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes',
'recovery_measures': ['Resumption of Network Operations',
'Restoration of BONE Token Bridging '
'Functionality'],
'remediation_measures': ['Validator Blacklisting System',
'Seven-Day Withdrawal Delay for Plasma '
'Bridge',
'Deactivation of Legacy Public RPC '
'Endpoint (to reduce centralization)',
'Encouragement of Multiple RPC Provider '
'Adoption']},
'stakeholder_advisories': ['Encouraged adoption of multiple RPC providers',
'Notified users of temporary RPC endpoint '
'deactivation'],
'title': 'Shibarium Network Security Incident and Infrastructure Overhaul',
'type': ['Blockchain Security Breach',
'Validator Key Compromise',
'Unauthorized Token Delegation'],
'vulnerability_exploited': ['External Access to Validator Keys',
'Over-reliance on Limited Public Nodes '
'(Centralization Risk)']}