39 validators were penalized in a correlated Ethereum slashing event on Wednesday, according to blockchain explorer Beaconcha.in. The affected nodes were using the SSV Network, a distributed validator technology (DVT) that splits keys across multiple operators to decentralize staking infrastructure.
SSV founder Alon Muroch said the protocol itself was not compromised; the penalties came from operator-side infrastructure errors at third-party staking providers using SSV. One cluster of slashed validators was tied to liquid staking provider Ankr — routine maintenance there appears to have triggered the mis-signing. A second cluster involved validators that migrated from Allnodes two months earlier; investigators suspect a secondary validator setup produced duplicate signing.
In total, 39 validators were slashed in what counts as one of the largest correlated incidents since Ethereum’s switch to proof-of-stake. Each slashed validator takes an immediate ETH penalty and may be exposed to additional inactivity leaks that amplify losses for groups penalized at once. For example, a validator backed by 2,020 ETH lost about 0.3 ETH (roughly $1,300 at current prices) in the event.
Slashing remains rare: fewer than 500 validators out of more than 1.2 million active have been slashed since the Beacon Chain launched in 2020, and most incidents trace back to operator mistakes rather than deliberate attacks. Correlated misbehavior, however, raises penalties and can cause outsized financial damage.
Why this matters: the episode underscores that validator safety depends as much on operational discipline and infrastructure resilience as on protocol design. Stakers and node operators should prioritize simple setups, cautious maintenance windows, clear key-rotation policies and monitoring to avoid duplicate signing and other avoidable errors.
Source: CoinDesk. Read the original coverage for full details.