Threshold has restarted its tBTC bridge onchain after security maintenance. Operators are coming back online to settle earlier requests, but the app is still closed to new Bitcoin deposits and redemptions.
Threshold Network said in its November 8 update that the tBTC bridge was operating onchain again. Node operators are reconnecting after patching their servers. As they return, the bridge will process BTC deposits and requests to redeem tBTC for bitcoin submitted before the pause. Threshold gave no time for reopening the app.
tBTC is a token that represents bitcoin on networks such as Ethereum. Depositing BTC allows the bridge to issue tBTC. To get bitcoin back, a holder returns tBTC to the bridge. In its initial notice in late October, Threshold said holders could continue to hold, transfer or use the tokens they already had.
What happens to Bitcoin sent before the pause?
On November 9, the Threshold app continued to show the transaction router and deposit recovery as unavailable. Users with an outstanding deposit or redemption can still check its status. Threshold asks depositors to keep the receipt and transaction hashes, avoid resubmitting pending transactions and refrain from sending BTC to old deposit addresses. Once the app reopens, depositors should start a fresh deposit.
During the original pause, the bridge could still pay out some pending redemptions on Bitcoin. The final step recording settlement on Ethereum had to wait. On November 6, Threshold said it expected operators to start reconnecting the following day, subject to final checks. The app will reopen once enough nodes can process deposits, mint tBTC and handle redemptions promptly.
Threshold’s November 8 bridge update and instructions for pending transactions
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Who signs the Bitcoin transactions?
In its November 1 security update, Threshold said a Linux kernel flaw, CVE-2026-98432, could allow remote code execution on unpatched servers. Each operator had either patched its systems or taken its node offline. Threshold said it had found no evidence that anyone had used the flaw against a tBTC node.
One operator separately reported that about 0.5 ETH had been stolen from the Ethereum account it used for transaction fees. Its tBTC node was already offline. According to Threshold, the incident was unrelated to the kernel flaw, and the operator found no evidence that anyone had accessed its share of the signing key.
Moving bitcoin out of a bridge wallet requires a majority of independent operators to sign. In an August 3 video, Threshold explains from 00:20 how each node holds a share of a key and how enough partial signatures combine into one valid signature. On November 8 the team reported about 4,320 BTC in bridge wallets against roughly 4,185 tBTC in circulation. Its November 4 update reported no unauthorized Bitcoin movements or tBTC issuance.
Which Aave transactions are still available?
LlamaRisk, a risk provider to Aave, recommended freezing the Ethereum Core tBTC reserve while redemptions were unavailable. Aave’s guardian multisig executed the freeze at 10:01 UTC on October 31. Aave had already frozen its tBTC reserves on Base and Arbitrum in earlier rounds of asset retirements. Ethereum Core had been the only remaining market where tBTC could support fresh borrowing.
Users of Aave V3 on Ethereum Core cannot supply new tBTC or use it to increase their borrowing limit. Borrowing against other collateral, repayments, withdrawals and liquidations continue. Aave kept the same liquidation threshold for tBTC. The freeze alone therefore left each existing borrower’s health factor unchanged. A borrower can raise it by repaying some debt or adding other eligible collateral.
BigGo Finance valued the tBTC reserve on Aave at about $120 million in its November 9 report. That estimate covers tokens supplied to the market, including holdings users can still withdraw. LlamaRisk said it would propose restoring normal terms after confirming that bridge operations had returned to normal. The risk team gave no date for submitting its proposal.
