The NEAR protocol, a smart contract platform, had a vulnerability that could potentially crash the entire network. Discovered by blockchain security firm Zellic, the flaw, known as the 'Web3 Ping of Death,' was quietly patched in January. Despite the fix, similar vulnerabilities may still exist in some networks. The flaw was found in NEAR's peer-to-peer networking protocol for validator nodes, allowing attackers to crash nodes by exploiting cryptographic signature verification vulnerabilities. Zellic reported the issue to NEAR in December, and a $150,000 reward was given for the disclosure. Fortunately, the network remained online until the patch was implemented. This incident highlights the importance of addressing vulnerabilities promptly to prevent network crashes, unlike other blockchains such as Arbitrum and Solana, which have experienced downtime due to various issues. Read more AI-generated news on: https://app.chaingpt.org/news