Tron Blockchain Stalled for Hours by 'Malicious Contract,' Justin Sun Says

A “malicious contract” caused a Tron blockchain super representative to suspend block production for a few hours on Monday.

AccessTimeIconNov 2, 2020 at 5:10 p.m. UTC
Updated Aug 19, 2021 at 5:27 a.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

The Tron blockchain halted creation and execution of blocks due to a “malicious contract” against a super representative on Nov. 2, according to multiple reports.

First reported by Crypto Briefing, the smart contract blockchain halted block production at 10:00 UTC for some two hours, according to Reddit users. The event is notable as it validates centralization concerns raised against Tron, which already holds an infamous reputation in blockchain circles.

  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
  • Tron uses a Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism. DPoS blockchains sacrifice decentralization for throughput by centralizing certain transaction activities to majority nodes.

    Tron CEO Justin Sun followed reports with a tweet thread stating that the pause in block production was caused by an attacker exploiting the latest Tron software. Updating the node’s software began block production again, Sun said.

    The platform’s native token, TRX, is down 3% in 24 hours, according to the CoinDesk 20.

    Tron did not return questions for comment by press time.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.