BNB Chain Activates Pasteur Hard Fork for Enhanced Bridge Security

BNB Chain has rolled out the Pasteur hard fork on its mainnet, introducing changes to how blocks are verified and authorized. The update aims to bolster bridge security, staking, and governance, all without altering the network's 450-millisecond block time.

The hard fork combines multiple BNB Evolution Proposals (BEPs) to address gaps in verification and authorization, improve validator handling for cross-chain and governance operations, and revise the route used by block builders and validators during busy periods.

BNB Chain emphasizes that the upgrade targets three key areas: preventing duplicate validator entries during cross-chain light-block verification, tightening controls around validator key rotation, slashing, and governance voting, and revising the process for how specialist block builders submit blocks to validators.

The team also highlights the need to stop validators from being effectively counted more than once in bridge approvals, reduce the authority of older validator keys, and prevent restricted addresses from participating in voting. These measures are designed to strengthen core system components tied to network integrity.