Ethereum
Ethereum Glamsterdam Upgrade Delayed Over Smart Contract Security Risks
Oct 23, 2026, 10:28 UTC
Ethereum
Oct 23, 2026, 10:28 UTC
Oct 23, 2026, 10:28 UTC3 min read
Ethereum developers have postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet after researchers identified potential security risks involving existing smart contracts, leaving the network’s next major development milestone without a confirmed activation date. The decision comes as ETH trades under $2,400, with the token losing around 0.5%.
The Ethereum Foundation announced the delay last night, canceling the Hoodi activation scheduled for October 26. Developers want more time to investigate how proposed gas-accounting changes could interact with contracts already deployed on Ethereum mainnet. No replacement date has been announced for the testnet upgrade, and the mainnet schedule remains undecided.
Ethereum postpones the Glamsterdam upgrade and cancels Monday's Hoodi testnet activation after security developers flagged risks to existing contracts.Just another reminder that protocol upgrades can be fragile.— lenny 🥷 (@blockchainlenny) October 23, 2026
ETH price is fluctuating between $2,370 and $2,415. The token is approaching the upper end of its daily range, putting the $2,400 level in focus as traders assess whether the latest gains can hold.
A sustained move above $2,415 could open the door to further upside, while a drop below $2,370 would signal renewed selling pressure and put lower price levels in focus. For now, ETH’s short-term direction will depend on whether buyers can maintain momentum and how the broader crypto market performs.
The Ethereum Glamsterdam delay adds another factor for traders to watch, particularly if uncertainty around the upgrade timeline persists. However, the postponement alone does not establish a bearish outlook for ETH. Attention will remain on price momentum, market demand, and further updates from Ethereum developers as the next testing milestone approaches.
The postponement also raises questions about the broader Ethereum Glamsterdam rollout timeline. Developers had discussed potential December activation dates for mainnet, but the schedule had not been finalized. With the Hoodi test now delayed, those possible dates should not be treated as confirmed launch targets.
Hoodi testing is an important step in checking how the upgrade behaves before developers decide when to deploy it on mainnet. The canceled activation also removes a planned increase in Hoodi’s gas limit to 200 million, which had been scheduled alongside the upgrade.
The Ethereum Foundation has not announced a replacement Hoodi date. Developers must first investigate the reported compatibility issues and determine what changes, if any, are needed before the next activation can proceed.
For ETH traders, the uncertainty creates a new development milestone to follow rather than a confirmed change to the network’s mainnet operations. A prolonged delay could keep attention on the upgrade’s readiness, while a revised testing schedule would provide a clearer timeline for the next phase.
The immediate issue involves EIP-8037, a proposal that changes how Ethereum accounts for gas costs associated with creating blockchain state. Researchers have raised concerns about how the proposed changes could interact with existing smart contracts, particularly those that rely on specific gas limits when handling failed operations.
Security firm ChainSecurity identified scenarios in which the proposed gas changes could leave contracts with different amounts of gas than expected. That could affect how certain applications handle errors, potentially causing operations to fail or behave differently from their original design.
The findings matter because deployed smart contracts may continue operating under assumptions established before the upgrade. Changes to gas accounting can therefore create compatibility problems even when developers are not deliberately changing an application’s underlying logic.
Ethereum’s decision to postpone the Hoodi activation gives developers additional time to investigate those interactions before proceeding. The delay is specific to the Hoodi testnet and does not mean the Glamsterdam upgrade has been canceled.
Glamsterdam remains part of Ethereum’s development roadmap, with proposed improvements including enshrined proposer-builder separation and block-level access lists. For now, the immediate focus is on resolving the security concerns, rescheduling Hoodi testing, and establishing a clearer path toward mainnet activation.
