Ethereum Postpones Glamsterdam Test After Gas Accounting Changes Raise Security Questions

Ethereum developers have delayed Glamsterdam’s planned activation on the Hoodi testnet after security researchers found that proposed gas-accounting rules could change how existing smart contracts handle failed calls.

The activation was scheduled for October 26 at 17:42:48 UTC. During Thursday’s All Core Devs Execution meeting, developers decided to postpone the test while investigating the potential impact on contracts already deployed on Ethereum.

No new activation date has been announced.

EIP-8037 Could Alter Smart Contract Behavior

The concern focuses on EIP-8037, which changes how Ethereum calculates gas costs for creating new database records. The proposal aims to curb blockchain state growth as the network expands its transaction-processing capabilities.

Security firm ChainSecurity described the potential issue in an analysis published on October 13. Its findings show that EIP-8037, combined with EIP-8038, could affect how contracts behave when another contract they call runs out of gas.

Some contracts are designed to handle failed calls by recording an error, preventing repeated attempts or continuing with another step. In certain cases, developers rely on insufficient remaining gas to force the entire transaction to revert, undoing all changes.

The proposed rules could change how that process unfolds.

Proposed Rules Could Preserve Failure Records

Under the new accounting model, gas spent creating certain database records may be restored when those changes are reversed. This could leave enough gas for a contract to complete its error-handling logic rather than triggering a full transaction rollback.

As a result, a failed operation could leave a lasting record when the transaction would previously have been completely reversed.

ChainSecurity also identified a potential increase in storage costs. Its analysis estimated that creating a new storage slot could require 110,020 gas after a separate allowance is exhausted, compared with 22,100 gas under the existing rules.

That difference could cause contracts to run out of gas during operations that would otherwise succeed.

Although researchers demonstrated the mechanisms behind these scenarios, they have not publicly confirmed that a major production protocol is exploitable. The findings instead highlight possible compatibility issues that developers need to investigate.

Hoodi Test and Gas Limit Increase Put on Hold

Glamsterdam includes several changes to Ethereum’s protocol, including a new approach to selecting block builders and improvements designed to support larger blocks.

The upgrade activated on the Sepolia testnet on October 6. Hoodi was scheduled to host the next public test, alongside a planned increase in its gas limit to 200 million. Both changes have been postponed.

Developers must evaluate the findings and determine whether the proposed rules need adjustments before setting a new testing date.

Ethereum Mainnet Timing Remains Unclear

No official mainnet activation date has been confirmed for Glamsterdam. The delay does not establish that existing contracts are currently being exploited through the proposed changes; it reflects the need to understand how they may behave under the revised rules.

Ethereum developers must address the outstanding concerns and complete further testing before the upgrade can move toward its mainnet launch.