US EditionBybit's Lazarus Security Lab Reveals Hidden Fund-Freezing Functions Across 16 Major Blockchains
Bybit's report details three types of fund-freezing mechanisms used by 16 blockchains to prevent hacks, with Sui freezing $162 million after a major exploit.
- On Nov. 12, 2025, Bybit's Lazarus Security Lab released a report finding 16 major blockchains can freeze or restrict user funds after scanning 166 networks with an AI-assisted framework and human validation.
- Examples from prior hacks explain why projects added controls, including Sui freezing $6.6 million after the Cetus hack and VeChain and BNB Chain actions.
- By function, chains fall into hardcoded, config-based or contract-based groups with five chains hardcoded and ten layer-1 networks using configuration-based freezing.
- The study concludes transparency should be a governance pillar, with David Zong noting freezing functions challenge decentralization.
- Researchers warned another 19 blockchains, including Arbitrum and Cosmos, could add freezing with minor changes, with Cosmos's modular design enabling interventions and Bybit serving over 70 million users.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Aptos, BNB Chain and 14 Blockchains Can Freeze User Funds: Bybit
Blockchain researchers at Bybit’s ‘Lazarus Security Lab’ have found that 16 blockchains have the ability to freeze user funds. Five chains, including BNB Chain and VeChain, were hardcoded with freezing capabilities at the protocol level. Prominent layer 1 blockchains Aptos, EOS and Sui were among the 10 networks with a config-based freezing capability, meaning validators or foundations can restrict accounts. This story is an excerpt from the Unc…
PR Newswire
NewswireBybit's Lazarus Security Lab Reveals Hidden Fund-Freezing Functions Across 16 Major Blockchains
/PRNewswire/ -- A new report by Bybit's Lazarus Security Lab has revealed that 16 major blockchains include code that allows them to freeze or restrict user...
VeChain Denies Bybit's Explosive 'Hidden Freeze' Claim: 2019 Blocklist Was Not a Secret Kill Switch
VeChain has issued a firm clarification denying recent allegations made in a report published by Bybit’s Lazarus Security Lab, which claimed that the blockchain includes a hidden feature allowing funds to be frozen. In a statement released on Thursday, VeChain categorically rejected the claims as “factually incorrect and reputationally damaging.” VeChain Slams Bybit’s Research Lab Addressing the specific allegations in its recent post on X, the …
Bybit Report Exposes Hidden Fund-Freezing Powers In Top
16 blockchains were found to possess built-in fund-freezing features, while 19 others could enable them with slight adjustments. Bybit’s Lazarus Security Lab urges transparency in revealing blockchain intervention mechanisms. The report highlights the tension between decentralization and security intervention within blockchain ecosystems. A comprehensive new study by Bybit’s Lazarus Security Lab has brought to light that a significant portion of…
Cardano No-Freeze Architecture Stands Out As Bybit Flags 16 Blockchains That Can Freeze User Funds
Bybit flags 16 blockchains with built-in or configurable fund-freezing tools. Hoskinson says Cardano and Midnight have no freeze or blacklist mechanism. ADA trades near $0.55 as traders weigh governance design against security tools. On Wednesday, November 12, Cardano CEO Charles Hoskinson drew attention to a new Bybit Lazarus Security Lab report revealing that 16 major blockchains contain code functions capable of freezing or restricting user f…
Bybit Study: 16 Blockchains Have Protocol‑Level Fund Freezing Capabilities - Coin Surges
A new study found that 16 current blockchains possess protocol-level freezing capabilities that allow foundations or governance groups to block specific addresses, with an additional 19 potentially able to support freezing in the future. Three Methods of Freezing Funds Identified A recent study by Bybit reveals that 16 blockchains currently have protocol‑level freezing capabilities, allowing […] Read Entire Article The post Bybit Study: 16 Block…
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