Polygon executed a hard fork to fix a validator synchronization bug causing 15-minute finality delays, restoring checkpointing and consensus while assuring users that funds and Ethereum security were unaffected.
Polygon resolved a software bug that caused up to 15-minute finality delays on its proof-of-stake network by executing a hard fork on September 10, 2025. The disruption, caused by a validator synchronization bug in node software, temporarily affected DeFi apps and halted Polygonscan updates for more than five hours. Despite these issues, Ethereum checkpointing and block production remained unaffected, and Polygon confirmed no funds were at risk. Developers rolled out Bor v2.2.11-beta2 and Heimdall v0.3.1, the latter requiring a hard fork at 3 p.m. UTC, which successfully restored consensus and state synchronization. Polygon’s POL token dipped 4% during the disruption but quickly recovered. This marks the network’s second major technical issue in 2025 after a July validator exit disrupted Heimdall finality.