MetaMask security incident forces Ethereum staking exits, no funds at risk

MetaMask is pulling Ethereum staking systems out of service after a security incident, with Lido warning of lost rewards and a security researcher reporting that payments from producing blocks were diverted to another wallet.

The cryptocurrency wallet provider, which also operates staking services, disclosed Wednesday that the incident affected part of its infrastructure, adding it exited affected validators — or the computers that help check Ethereum transactions — as a precaution.

“At this time, we have identified no immediate threat to MetaMask wallets,” the company said.

Ethereum security researcher Kaden said on X that 18 of 19 MetaMask-operated validators that had earned payments for producing blocks sent those payments to an unexpected address. He estimated about 0.36 ETH had been diverted.

Kaden’s analysis put the precautionary exits at roughly 17,000 validators holding about 523,000 ETH. MetaMask has not confirmed those figures or published an explanation of how its systems were compromised as of Asian afternoon hours Thursday.

Staking lets holders earn ETH by committing their coins to help secure Ethereum. Operators such as MetaMask run the computers that do the work, while customers retain separate control over where their staked coins can be withdrawn.