The MetaMask team issued its third reassurance that customer wallets and funds remain secure following a security incident first reported on September 30.
Joseph Lubin, Ethereum co-founder and founder of ConsenSys, the firm behind MetaMask, said in a statement that based on their investigation, there is no indication that MetaMask wallets or customer funds have been affected. He emphasized that self-custody users maintain full control of their own keys and funds.
The security incident prompted MetaMask to take precautionary measures, including taking validators offline. The team has provided limited details about the incident, citing the need to avoid publicly discussing details of an open security issue while disclosing information to partners and relevant stakeholders once the situation is sufficiently understood.
Staking infrastructure affected
Speculation suggests the issue was centered on MetaMask's validator infrastructure. Taking validators offline reduced residual operational risk but did not expose the underlying ETH, according to Lubin.
Lido confirmed it exited MetaMask validators and noted it would take time before re-entering the system. Linea, an Ethereum Layer 2 developed by ConsenSys, announced a similar move on October 2, exiting validators supporting the Yield Boost vault as a precaution.
Staking queue surge
Ethereum researcher Kaden reported that approximately 17,000 validators exited following the incident, representing about 513,000 ETH total. Over 800 potentially impacted validators remained to exit as of October 1.
The queued ETH waiting for exit increased significantly during the period, rising from 205,000 ETH to 773,000 ETH by October 1, then surging to 850,000 ETH a day later. ETH price remained relatively stable during the incident, consolidating below $2,800.
