Cardano experienced a temporary chain split due to an old code vulnerability, and the CEO stated that the FBI has intervened in the investigation

According to Cointelegraph, a temporary chain split occurred on the Cardano network due to a "format error" in a delegated transaction. This type of delegated transaction refers to transactions that delegate ADA to a staking pool, which, while valid at the protocol level, can lead to code failures that affect network functionality.

According to an incident report released by Intersect, an organization within the Cardano ecosystem, this "format error" transaction exploited an old code vulnerability in the underlying software library of the Cardano blockchain, causing nodes to have discrepancies in how they processed the transaction, ultimately resulting in a network split. The vulnerability was caused by an ADA staking pool operator named Homer J, who used AI-generated code to facilitate the transaction and has acknowledged responsibility for the network split.

Staking pool operators have been asked to download the latest version of the node software to fix the issue and to reintegrate the split chains into a single complete blockchain. This temporary split has sparked debate within the Cardano community, with some arguing that Homer J's actions helped expose critical vulnerabilities, while others, such as Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson, have labeled it an attack on the Cardano network, prompting an investigation by the FBI.

One user quipped, "No one noticed the network partition of Cardano because no one is using it."