Unichain Disables RPC after Early Access Leak

Uniswap Labs’ Unichain project faces criticism for abruptly disabling public RPC access after a security leak.

Key Notes

Uniswap Labs launched Unichain in early October, featuring 250ms block times and decentralized validators.On October 10, leaked developer access led to early Layer 2 use, triggering a memecoin boom.Unichain shut down public RPC, causing user frustration and raising security and stability concerns. 

In early October, Uniswap Labs introduced Unichain, promising lightning-fast 250ms block times, smooth cross-chain connectivity, and a fully decentralized validator network. Just two days after the launch on October 10, a leak of developer access details sparked a wave of unexpected memecoin activity, pushing the team to disable Uniswap Layer 2’s public remote procedure call (RPC).


 
 
 

The breach allowed a group of skilled users to bypass the planned release schedule, accessing the Layer 2 (L2) network before the official launch. This early access triggered a rapid surge in memecoin creation and trading, drawing widespread attention while also raising questions about the platform’s stability and security.


 
 
 

Unichain RPC Shutdown Leaves Users in Limbo


 
 
 

Unichain announced on X, formerly Twitter, that early developer access details for Unichain mainnet had leaked, yet the mainnet remains offline, and the canonical bridge is still pending completion. Due to this unprepared status, the team disabled the RPC for developer access, effectively pausing unauthorized activities.


 — Unichain (@unichain) November 12, 2024
 
 
 

In the statement, Unichain promised updates, clarifying that public RPC access details would eventually appear on both their X account and unichain.org. Many users, however, found themselves in limbo after the shutdown. The team acknowledged that users who bridged funds could still withdraw to Ethereum Mainnet, but executing transactions remains impractical with the RPC offline.


 
 
 

Unichain’s community reacted with frustration. One user questioned the withdrawal process, asking how bridging is possible without active RPC. Another user, @Punk_2070, voiced sarcasm, remarking on the lack of foresight in disabling RPC access without viable alternatives.


 
 
 

Unichain Faces Criticism After RPC Shutdown


 
 
 

Unichain emerged as a strong contender in blockchain, aiming to challenge Solana’s dominance in memecoin trading. However, an unexpected leak and subsequent RPC shutdown have raised questions about the project’s readiness and strategic choices. Critics argue that pulling the public RPC offline reflected poor planning.


 
 
 

Tom Kyser, founder of Gas.zip, commented on the situation, stating: 


 
 
 
 

“Literally every chain gets frontrun today, sometimes by weeks […] Nobody’ has ever turned the RPC off. Some even embraced it. Most just ignored it. But bridges are super aggressive in searching online for when these RPCs go live, so it’s really hard to “launch” a mainnet and not get found today.” 


 
 
 
 

Kyser suggested that Unichain’s shutdown decision is unprecedented and could set a troubling standard for future blockchain projects. Kyser further noted that while developers might allow only a canonical withdrawal transaction, users’ success bridging funds away from Unichain remains in question. Uniswap Labs has been contacted for further insight, but no additional information has been shared as of November 12, 2024.



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