Flow Network Ditches Transaction Rollback, Adopts Phased Recovery Strategy

Flow’s security incident response has taken an unconventional path. Rather than resorting to traditional network rollback procedures that would complicate transaction management, Flow abandoned this approach in favor of a phased recovery strategy. As reported by PANews on December 29th, the Flow Foundation and its ecosystem partners have designed a revised remediation plan that sidesteps the typical transaction rollback scenario while preserving the integrity of user activity across the network.

Avoiding Transaction Rollback: Protecting Legitimate User Activity

The decision to bypass transaction rollback represents a significant shift in incident response strategy. Under conventional recovery models, such rollbacks often require transaction replays that can confuse transaction histories and complicate user experiences. Flow’s approach ensures that legitimate user activity remains fully intact, meaning users won’t face the headache of reprocessing transactions or reconciling account states. The data speaks clearly: over 99.9% of accounts experienced no disruption and will function completely normally once the network restarts, eliminating the need for transaction rollback procedures that typically plague network recoveries.

Four Phases of Phased Network Restoration

The recovery unfolds across four distinct stages, each building on the previous one. The Flow Foundation collaborated extensively with bridging operators, trading platforms, and infrastructure partners to craft this timeline.

Phase 1: Cadence Environment Activation The Cadence environment goes online first, while EVM remains in read-only mode. This staged approach allows the Cadence layer to stabilize independently before introducing the more complex EVM component.

Phase 2: Scheduled Adjustment Window A waiting period of approximately 24-48 hours follows, providing buffer time for system stability monitoring and partner coordination across the ecosystem.

Phase 3: EVM Repair and Reactivation Once Cadence proves stable, the EVM undergoes repairs and returns to full operational status, restoring complete functionality to the network.

Phase 4: Bridge Operations Resume The final phase reinstates bridged operations, allowing cross-chain functionality to resume. The actual recovery timeline depends on operator confirmation of system stability under real-world conditions.

Transparency and Partnership at the Core

The phased recovery strategy reflects Flow’s commitment to avoiding the disruption caused by transaction rollback procedures. By consulting with multiple stakeholders—bridging operators, trading platforms, and infrastructure partners—the Foundation ensured that the recovery plan accounts for ecosystem-wide dependencies. This collaborative approach means the network won’t experience the chaotic aftermath typical of transaction rollback incidents, where users face uncertainty about transaction status and account reconciliation.