ZKsync Hardens EraVM Security Ahead of Six-Month Retirement

ZKsync is hardening the security of its EraVM execution environment as it prepares to retire the technology within six months. The company, Matter Labs, announced the move on September 4, citing the changing threat landscape brought about by artificial intelligence.

The security-hardening program includes five key measures: raising the execution delay from three hours to 24 hours, requiring an independent second node to confirm each executed batch, delaying public protocol code publication by three months after upgrades, adding a second prover (EraBender) alongside Boojum, and approving the GAP-5 proposal that renames Emergency Upgrades to Instant Upgrades.

The measures are aimed at countering AI-driven exploit risks, but ordinary externally owned accounts will remain unaffected. Smart-contract holders in DeFi, DEX, and other crypto ecosystems must follow forthcoming remediation steps.