ZetaChain Pauses Cross-Chain Transactions After GatewayEVM Smart Contract Attack
ZetaChain has temporarily halted all cross-chain transactions on its mainnet following a security attack on its GatewayEVM smart contract.
The Layer 1 blockchain made the announcement on April 27, 2026. The team acted quickly to contain the incident and protect user assets.
Attack Limited to Internal Team Wallets
According to ZetaChain, the exploit only affected internal team wallets. No user funds were impacted.
The team has already fixed the vulnerability to stop further losses. DefiLlama data reports approximately $300,000 lost in the attack. ZetaChain plans to release a detailed post-mortem report soon.
Current Status and Precautions
As a safety measure, cross-chain transactions remain paused on the mainnet. The official status page confirmed the pause was still active as of 9:00 PM ET on April 27.
The investigation is ongoing, and the team continues to monitor the situation.
What is GatewayEVM?
GatewayEVM is ZetaChain’s smart contract that serves as the main entry point for cross-chain interactions. It connects external EVM-compatible chains with applications on ZetaChain.
This unified gateway is central to ZetaChain’s interoperability features.
About ZetaChain
ZetaChain is an interoperability-focused Layer 1 blockchain. It aims to be the “first universal blockchain,” enabling seamless connections between Bitcoin, Ethereum, Polygon, and other networks. Its mainnet launched in early 2024.
Recent Wave of DeFi Attacks
This incident comes shortly after the major exploit of the LayerZero-powered Kelp DAO bridge, which drained $292 million. Since then, DeFiLlama has recorded at least 10 attacks on various DeFi projects.
ZetaChain’s swift response highlights the importance of rapid action in protecting the ecosystem.
Stay tuned for updates. ZetaChain is expected to share more details once the full investigation concludes.
