LayerZero Issues Public Apology for Kelp DAO Exploit, Admits Single-Verifier Setup Was Mistake

According to LayerZero's official blog post on Friday, the protocol issued a public apology for its handling of the April 18 exploit that drained $292 million in rsETH from Kelp DAO's cross-chain bridge. LayerZero admitted it made a mistake by allowing its Decentralized Verifier Network to serve as the sole verifier for high-value transactions, reversing its earlier stance that blamed Kelp DAO's configuration choices.

In response to the incident, LayerZero said it will no longer service 1/1 DVN configurations, with default settings migrated to require at least five verifiers where possible. The apology comes as Kelp DAO and Solv Protocol have migrated their cross-chain infrastructure to Chainlink's CCIP, citing security concerns.