MetaMask began proactively exiting affected Ethereum validators after disclosing a compromise involving part of its infrastructure, while saying there was no indication that wallets or customer funds had been affected. The company urged users not to share recovery phrases with anyone claiming to offer protection. Security researcher Kaden estimated that about 17,000 MetaMask-operated validators holding roughly 523,000 ETH were sent toward the exit process. Kaden’s on-chain reconstruction found that 18 of 19 validators that won blocks directed rewards to an incorrect fee-recipient address, with the diverted payments totaling about 0.36 ETH, worth less than $1,000 at roughly $2,700 per ether. The address had previously received funds through Tornado Cash. Bitquery separately counted 16,965 validators holding 565,056 ETH that had exited or entered Ethereum’s exit queue by Oct. 1. The figures differ because the analyses covered different validator sets and time periods, and MetaMask has not publicly confirmed either estimate. Bitquery said no validators had been slashed, but estimated that simultaneous slashing of roughly 17,000 validators could theoretically have destroyed about 22,000 ETH. Lido said affected MetaMask Staking validators could complete their exits by the end of Oct. 7, while the full process of exiting, withdrawing and rejoining could take up to about 45 days. Validator queue data cited in the new analysis showed about 393,795 ETH waiting to leave the validator set, with an estimated four days and six hours to clear the exit queue before a further withdrawal delay. Earlier figures cited by Validator Queue showed a larger withdrawal backlog, reflecting a different measurement and time. MetaMask’s non-custodial structure separates validator operating credentials from customers’ withdrawal keys, limiting an attacker’s ability to withdraw the underlying stake, although compromised signing keys could expose validators to slashing or operational penalties.