aelf Network Restores Operations Following Malicious Smart-Contract Breach

The aelf blockchain network has successfully resumed block production and restored public node access after a security incident involving malicious smart-contract activity. Following a week-long halt of the AELF MainChain and tDVV dAppChain, core services including the aelfscan explorer, Awaken trading, and the TMRW DAO interface have returned to an operational state. While the network is moving toward stabilization, the recovery remains gradual, and the team continues to investigate the depth of the breach.

Restoration of Services and Exchange Status

As of mid-September, aelf’s infrastructure has shown significant signs of recovery with advancing block heights and the accessibility of major front-end services like FairyVault and Forest NFT. However, the resumption of exchange activities varies across platforms; while Bithumb and MEXC have scheduled a return for deposits and withdrawals, other venues like INDODAX have lagged behind. Users are advised to exercise caution and verify account-level availability with individual exchanges, as some platforms require the generation of new deposit addresses to ensure fund security.

Security Findings and Ongoing Investigations

The investigation into the incident identified 155 malicious transactions and uncovered five unique .NET assemblies designed to interact with node-related keys and host systems. Although initial reviews suggest that ordinary user assets and wallet keys remained uncompromised, the threat to node and infrastructure credentials has not been fully dismissed. Furthermore, the week-long production halt resulted in a total loss of network staking rewards for that period, a situation that remains unchanged despite the restoration of the TMRW DAO interface. A comprehensive post-incident review and an independent technical audit are currently pending to provide a final security clearance for the network.