This is what the new emergency function of the BNB Chain entails

BNB Beacon Chain, aka the foundation of the Binance smart chain ecosystem, has announced a hard fork that introduces an emergency function. Here's what the feature should be able to do.

By the end of this month, the hard fork called ZhangHeng will be implemented on the BNB Beacon Chain. As the developers announced Wednesday, they want to significantly improve the security infrastructure of the blockchain. Under certain circumstances, the blockchain can be stopped by the integrated emergency function. No more blocks will then be created if this emergency situation continues.

Binance hopes to limit damage from bridge exploits

The Hard Fork is based on the BEP-255 proposal. Binance hopes that by implementing it, damages from bridge exploits can be reduced. The last time deposits were stolen was on Oct. 7, 2022. Changes in account holdings will also have to be tracked and reconciled in each block to identify any problems. Should an exploit occur, Binance can retroactively readjust the balance of affected users.

For the upgrade, two-thirds of the nodes must consent. New BNB tokens will not be issued.