A safety analysis workforce at main crypto trade Bybit has recognized 16 blockchain networks which are technically able to freezing or limiting consumer funds.
Bybit’s Lazarus Safety Lab on Tuesday released a report inspecting the influence of the fund freezing potential throughout a number of blockchains, analyzing a complete of 166 networks.
Utilizing AI-driven evaluation mixed with guide evaluation, the Bybit safety workforce discovered that networks like Binance-backed BNB Chain are hardcoded with freezing features.
The analysts additionally reported that the Cosmos chain is amongst 19 networks that might probably introduce the freezing functionality with “comparatively minor protocol modifications.”
Three foremost freezing mechanisms
Among the 16 blockchain networks, Lazarus Safety Lab discovered three distinct mechanisms for freezing funds on the protocol degree.
These mechanisms embody a hardcoded freezing technique or public blacklist, a configuration file-based freezing technique or personal blacklist, and an onchain good contract-based freezing technique.
In line with the report, 10 out of 16 blockchains able to freezing funds can use config-based freezing, which is managed by native configuration information resembling YAML, ENV or TOML. These information are usually accessible solely to validators, the muse and core builders.
Within the config-based freezing class, Bybit’s safety workforce talked about the layer-1 blockchains Aptos, Eos and Sui.
Among the 5 blockchains with freezing capabilities embedded immediately of their supply code, Bybit analysts recognized BNB Chain, VeChain, Chiliz, Viction and XinFin’s XDC Community. The report referenced the networks’ GitHub repositories to spotlight their hardcoded freezing options.
The Heco chain, often known as the Huobi Eco Chain, is the one blockchain to handle a blacklist by an onchain good contract, the report stated.
Addressing the 19 blockchains that might probably introduce fund freezing mechanisms, Bybit’s safety workforce paid particular consideration to module accounts within the Cosmos ecosystem.
Associated: Argentina turns up the heat in Libra scandal with sweeping asset freeze
Not like common consumer accounts, module accounts are managed by module logic moderately than personal keys, probably permitting for the restriction of transactions.
“This perform may, in principle, be modified sooner or later so as to add a hacker’s handle, however up to now not one of the blockchains within the Cosmos ecosystem have used it on this manner,” the report stated, including:
“Implementing such a change would require a tough fork together with minor changes — possible within the anteHandler file — or extra code modifications.”
Bybit’s researchers warned that the presence of those mechanisms, even when supposed to forestall theft or hacks, raises deeper issues about censorship and centralized management in blockchain techniques.
Associated: Bybit hack: ‘Reckoning’ that led SafeWallet to rearchitect its systems
The findings add to the rising debate about whether or not “decentralized” networks stay so in observe, as extra tasks combine emergency controls, compliance modules and admin-level privileges that blur the road between safety and centralization.
The report got here months after Bybit suffered a $1.5 billion cold wallet hack, one of many largest safety incidents the crypto trade has ever seen. With coordinated efforts of companions like Circle, Tether, THORchain and Bitget, the group managed to freeze $42.9 million of exploited funds, whereas mETH Protocol recovered cmETH tokens price practically $43 million.
Journal: Philippines blockchain bill to battle corruption, crypto KOLs charged: Asia Express
(*16*)
Cointelegraph by Helen Partz BNB Chain Among 16 Networks That Can Freeze Property: Bybit cointelegraph.com 2025-11-12 14:02:17
Source link
