# Dodging a bullet: Ethereum State Problems

DevFeed: [Dodging a bullet: Ethereum State Problems](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/dodging-a-bullet-ethereum-state-problems-16963.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.ethereum.org/en/2021/05/18/eth-state-problems>)

Author: Martin Holst Swende; Peter Szilagyi

Published: 2021-05-18T00:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Ethereum Foundation Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/ethereum-foundation-blog.md>)

Topics: [Ethereum](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ethereum.md>), [Database](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/database.md>), [Security](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/security.md>), [Bug Bounty](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/bugbounty.md>), [Exploit](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/exploit.md>)

Tags: [attacks](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/attacks.md>), [blog](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/blog.md>), [blog-post](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/blog-post.md>), [bug](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bug.md>), [bug-bounty](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bug-bounty.md>), [cryptographic](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cryptographic.md>), [database](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/database.md>), [ethereum](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ethereum.md>), [exploit](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/exploit.md>), [hash](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/hash.md>), [measurements](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/measurements.md>), [security](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/security.md>), [state](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/state.md>), [upgrade](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/upgrade.md>)

## AI overview

This Ethereum blog post discloses a severe state-related threat that remained dangerous until the Berlin hardfork. It explains how the growth of Ethereum's patricia-merkle trie increases database lookups and disk operations, describes gas-cost increases introduced to mitigate denial-of-service risks, and discusses an exploit submitted to the Ethereum bug bounty.

## Source excerpt

With this blog post, the intention is to officially disclose a severe threat against the Ethereum platform, which was a clear and present danger up until the Berlin hardfork....