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Chainlink released CCIP 2.0 on Sept. 28, adding the option for companies to place their own or third-party verifiers on top of Chainlink’s default 16-operator network. The update follows April’s $292 million Kelp DAO exploit, which was blamed on a LayerZero bridge configuration using one verifier. Chainlink’s separate Risk Management Network no longer provides an additional check, and the company has not named institutions using CCIP 2.0’s new verifiers.
Chainlink released CCIP 2.0 on Sept. 28, an update to its cross-chain protocol that lets companies add their own or third-party verifiers to transfers on top of Chainlink’s default 16-operator network. The launch comes five months after the $292 million Kelp DAO hack, which was blamed on a rival LayerZero bridge setup that relied on a single verifier.
CCIP, short for Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol, carries tokens and messages between blockchains. In CCIP 2.0, users can choose to add security checks operated in-house or supplied by providers including Infosys and Nethermind. Chainlink says its default network of 16 independent node operators must still reach a quorum for every transfer.
The update changes the role of Chainlink’s Risk Management Network, a separate set of nodes previously used to double-check transactions. It no longer operates as a separate safeguard in CCIP 2.0. Chainlink says independent checks can instead come from the optional verifiers. A user who adds no verifier therefore relies on the default network alone, rather than two separate networks as before.
Chainlink says existing integrations continue to work with CCIP 2.0 without changes. It has not identified any institutions using the newly available verifiers. The company told CoinDesk that Aave and Maple have begun adopting some other features of the upgrade, but did not say they use the new verifier options.
How CCIP 2.0 Checks Transfers
Cross-chain bridges depend on systems that verify activity on one blockchain before releasing funds on another. If a verifier accepts false information, funds may be released without a corresponding deposit. CCIP 2.0 gives organizations a way to add another verifier arrangement to Chainlink’s default network, which could let them tailor checks to their own requirements.
The design also changes how Chainlink describes its safeguards. The default network contains 16 operators, but the former separate Risk Management Network no longer checks transfers independently. Optional verifiers create an additional layer only for users who choose to configure one. The source report does not establish how many users will add that layer or how different configurations will perform in practice.
For users and institutions assessing cross-chain services, the choice of verifier setup is a material security detail. The Kelp exploit brought attention to the consequences of relying on a single verifier, but Chainlink’s release does not by itself establish that any particular bridge design is immune to attack. Crypto transfers carry a risk of loss, and this report is not financial advice.
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Kelp Exploit Put Verifiers Under Scrutiny
Chainlink is widely known for oracle services, which provide blockchains with external data such as asset prices used by lending and trading applications. CCIP, first launched in 2023, extends the company’s services to passing messages and tokens between chains. Blockchains generally cannot communicate directly, so transfers rely on bridge infrastructure and verifiers.
In April, attackers allegedly linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group drained about $292 million in rsETH from Kelp DAO’s bridge. The incident was attributed to a LayerZero setup that relied on one verifier. LayerZero blamed Kelp for choosing one verifier instead of several; Kelp said LayerZero staff had reviewed its configuration and had not objected. Those accounts are disputed positions, not a jointly established explanation of responsibility.
Kelp later said it would move rsETH to Chainlink. CoinGecko data cited by CoinDesk showed that nearly half of active LayerZero applications used the same one-verifier arrangement. That figure describes the applications counted in the cited data; it does not establish how many were vulnerable or suffered losses.
“Users shouldn’t have to be “cross-chain security infrastructure experts.””
— Chainlink, in comments to CoinDesk
Adoption and Safeguard Details
Chainlink has not named an institution using CCIP 2.0’s new optional verifiers. Its reference to Aave and Maple concerns adoption of some other upgrade features, with no specific verifier use confirmed. It is also not clear how many existing users will add verifiers or which configurations they will select.
The source report does not provide independent performance data comparing CCIP 2.0 configurations or explain the operational details of how optional checks will be selected and maintained by users. The accounts from LayerZero and Kelp about who was responsible for the single-verifier setup remain in dispute. The available reporting also does not establish that the exploit’s attribution to attackers linked to Lazarus has been independently confirmed.
Institutions Choose Their Verifiers
As institutions adopt CCIP 2.0, a key development to watch is whether they add their own or outside verifiers, and which providers they use. Chainlink’s statement that Aave and Maple have begun adopting other upgrade features does not confirm their use of these checks.
Chainlink says existing integrations can continue without changes. The source report gives no schedule for further adoption announcements or a date for a subsequent protocol milestone, so the timing and scale of verifier deployment remain open.
Key Questions
What is Chainlink CCIP 2.0?
CCIP 2.0 is an update to Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol, which carries tokens and messages between blockchains. It lets users add their own or third-party verifiers to transfers on top of Chainlink’s default 16-operator network.
How does CCIP 2.0 handle verifiers?
Chainlink says its default network of 16 independent node operators must reach a quorum for each transfer. Users can choose to add verifiers run by their own organization or by outside providers such as Infosys or Nethermind.
What changed with Chainlink’s Risk Management Network?
The Risk Management Network no longer functions as a separate transaction safeguard in CCIP 2.0. Chainlink says optional verifiers can provide an independent check instead. Users who add none rely on the default network alone.
Did the Kelp DAO hack involve Chainlink?
The April exploit affected Kelp DAO’s bridge, which used LayerZero. The incident was attributed to a configuration relying on one verifier. Kelp later said it would move rsETH to Chainlink; the source report does not say Chainlink was involved in the exploit.
Are Aave or Maple using CCIP 2.0’s new verifiers?
Chainlink said Aave and Maple have started adopting some features of the upgrade, but it has not confirmed that either uses the new verifier options. It has not named an institution using those verifiers.
Source: rss
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