Eth News and Links
Tornado Cash contracts can’t be sanctioned under current law, blob increase included in Pectra upgrade and Ethereum protocol attackathon
Eth R&D protocol call (All Core Devs)
- Consensus layer focused protocol call (ACDC #146):
- Pectra upgrade:
- Mekong testnet: consensus layer client teams fixing deposit processing bug
- Blobs:
- Agreed to increase blobs per block target to 6 & max of 9 and change update fraction via EIP7691
- Long range syncing, clients not purely bottlenecked by bandwidth
- Block arrival & home staker analysis supports increase to 4/8 or 6/9 (target/max)
- Blob fee market discussion
- EIP7623 (increase calldata cost): inclusion in Pectra to be decided at execution layer call (ACDE) next week
- Agreed to increase blobs per block target to 6 & max of 9 and change update fraction via EIP7691
- Pectra-devnet-5 spec: agreed to exclude empty requests in Engine API to mirror EIP7685 & consolidation processing fix in EIP7251
- EIP7805 Fork-choice enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) presentation
- All Core Devs process improvements
- Pectra upgrade:
Fusaka (Osaka + Fulu) upgrade
- PeerDAS breakout #12: spec discussions on decoupling subnets and validator custody
- EOF implementers call #62: discussions on compiler metadata and EOFCREATE hash
Layer 1
- QUIC support: ~42% of nodes, majority running Lighthouse & mostly over IPv4
- BuilderNet: block building network running on TEEs, shares MEV with users, early version live operated by Flashbots, Beaverbuild & Nethermind
- Terence: same slot vs next slot for inclusion list design, spec & prototype will use same slot
For stakers
- Deposit tools vulnerability: multiple keystore files generated in a single run should be considered as unencrypted
Research
- In-protocol transaction ordering, extension to Fork-Choice enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL)
Centralization watch: threatening the value of your ETH
- 🚨 Lido at 28.1%, still too close to 33.3% threshold
- Client diversity (via clientdiversity.org):
- Execution layer: Geth ~43% & Nethermind ~36% (estimate based on 74% self reported data)
- Consensus layer: Prysm 35%
- Any client bug over 33.3% could mean loss of finality
- Better geographic diversity is optimal, particularly outside of North America & Europe
Client Releases
- Consensus layer:
- Lodestar v1.23.1: fixes for issues in recent devnets
EIPs/Standards
- EIPs (Ethereum improvement proposals):
- EIP7825: Transaction gas limit cap
- ERCs (application layer):
Stuff for developers
- Foundry compiler profiles: compile contracts needing optimization with IR & tests without IR; 10x compile time reduction for Uniswap v4 contracts
- Echidna trace parser: convert Echidna call traces into Foundry tests
- Uniswap Compact (Solidity): ownerless ERC6909 contract, facilitates formation/dissolution of reusable resource locks
- MicroStable: simple stablecoin design in Solidity & Vyper
- Cyfrin Upgrade beginner & intermediate Python & Vyper courses
- CTFs:
- OSAKA: EVM Object Format (EOF) challenge
- Drift: write cached contract calls for web3 libraries (viem, web3.js & ethers)
Security
- Ethereum protocol attackathon: $1.5M reward pool, January 20 deadline
Job Listings
- Nethermind: AI Agent, Infra, Blockchain, Full Stack, BizDev & Researcher
Job listings: $600 for 4 issues (75 char limit). Pay using 3cities. Questions? abcoathup at-gmail
Onchain stats
- Fees (via ultrasound.money):
- Gas: 4.0 to 46.4 gwei, 11.2 gwei average; zero net issuance at 24.2 gwei
- 9.5k ETH net issuance this week
- ETHUSD: $3,288 – $3,666, currently $3,598, all time high $4,878
- ETHBTC: currently 0.037 (Flippening at ~0.164)
Notable at app layer
- Dan Finlay: meme token experiment, tools & incentives not currently sufficient for fundraising or having fun
- Kraken NFT marketplace closing, users have 3 months to withdraw NFTs
- Freysa: player successfully convinced AI agent to transfer prize pool
Regulation/business/tokens
- US Fifth Circuit rules Tornado Cash immutable contracts can’t be sanctioned under current law, OFAC overstepped
- Coinbase USDC Rewards sunset in Europe due to MiCA regulation
General
- EF Poseidon cryptanalysis initiative: attack bounties & research grants
END OF SERVICE: plan to deprecate Week in Ethereum News
Editor: @abcoathup
Follow @WeekinEthNews for the most clicked links
Permalink: https://weekinethereumnews.com/week-in-ethereum-news-november-30-2024
Upcoming Dates of Note
(new/changes in bold)
- Dec 4-5 – Columbia CryptoEconomics workshop (New York)
- Dec 6-8 – ETHIndia hackathon
- Dec 9 – EF internships 2025 application deadline
- Jan 20 – Ethereum protocol attackathon ends
- Jan 30-31 – EthereumZuri.ch conference
- Feb 23 – Mar 2 – ETHDenver
- Apr 4-6 – ETHGlobal Taipei hackathon
- May 9-11 – ETHDam (Amsterdam) conference & hackathon
- May 27-29 – ETHPrague conference
- May 30 – Jun 1 – ETHGlobal Prague hackathon
- Jun 3-8 – ETH Belgrade conference & hackathon
- Jun 12-13 – Protocol Berg (Berlin) conference
- Jun 16-18 – DappCon (Berlin)
- Jun 26-28 – ETHCluj (Romania) conference
- Jun 30 – Jul 3 – EthCC (Cannes) conference
- Jul 4-6 – ETHGlobal Cannes hackathon
- Aug 15-17 – ETHGlobal New York hackathon
- Sep 26-28 – ETHGlobal New Delhi hackathon
- Nov – ETHGlobal Devconnect hackathon
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