Ex-Ripple CTO says XRP Ledger reduces risk from bridge exploits like KelpDAO

Schwartz says the XRP Ledger is not exposed to Kelp DAO–style bridge exploits. Risk hinges on bridge design and reliance on external infra.

The statement follows the Kelp DAO hack. Attackers drained about $292 million in rsETH and used it as debt collateral on Aave, creating roughly $200 million in bad debt (Bitcoinist, NewsBTC).

In an X thread on April 20, the former Ripple CTO said XRPL users are positioned differently from those exposed via cross-chain bridges (Schwartz on X). He argued that bridge security varies with implementation and external dependencies (Bitcoinist).

Schwartz reviewed multiple DeFi bridges while assessing options for Ripple’s RLUSD. He said many already include controls that prevent fraudulent cross-chain message manipulation seen in the Kelp attack, but only if teams fully enable them (Bitcoinist, Schwartz on X).

He flagged a recurring pattern. Providers market “super safe” bridges while prioritizing ease and speed. Stronger settings are optional or off. Teams often choose simpler configs to avoid operational cost and complexity (Schwartz on X).

For XRP Ledger users, reliance on external bridge security is lower. That structurally limits exposure to Kelp-like exploits (Bitcoinist).

XRPL’s design helps here. It has built-in finality and avoids external cross-chain messaging for core functions, reducing attack surface vs. third‑party bridge models (Bitcoinist).