Cross-Chain Bridges vs Messaging Protocols: Exploits & Fixes

Visualization of digital bridge connecting two blockchains with hacker breach on one side and secure messaging nodes on the other.

Blockchains were designed as isolated systems. Bitcoin cannot natively read Ethereum’s state, and Ethereum cannot directly verify transactions on other chains without external mechanisms. As decentralized finance expanded, the need to move assets across chains created a new class of infrastructure: cross-chain bridges. Unfortunately, bridges also became the single largest attack surface in the crypto … Read more