Ethereum Developers Set Oct 6 Glamsterdam Test Amid Malicious Builder Concerns

Ethereum developers have announced that they will conduct a public test of their upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade on October 6. The test, scheduled to take place on the Sepolia network, aims to evaluate the performance and security of the new protocol.

However, there is a concern that malicious actors could exploit the free test ether available on Sepolia to win block auctions and withhold transaction payloads. This could potentially disrupt the testing process and undermine the reliability of the rehearsal.

The developers are operating under a compressed release schedule, with only seven days between the software deadline and fork, which is half the normal review period for security and bug testing.

Glamsterdam is designed to increase Ethereum's block capacity while keeping verification demands manageable for the computers securing the network. The upgrade targets a block gas limit of about 200 million, allowing more activity to fit into each block before users begin competing through higher fees.