Solana (SOL) deployed an urgent validator security patch Friday, yet more than half the network's staked value remains exposed to older software.

The slow adoption comes amid a 42% collapse in validator count over the past year.

Despite infrastructure concerns, Solana's on-chain activity hit new highs with decentralized exchange volumes and stablecoin adoption surging.

What Happened

Solana Status announced v3.0.14 on January 10, urging immediate installation across all mainnet validators.

The release contained "critical patches" without disclosing specific vulnerabilities addressed.

As of Saturday evening, approximately 51.3% of network stake remained on the outdated v3.0.13 client.

Only 18% migrated to the secure v3.0.14 version, creating a vulnerability window in proof-of-stake consensus.

Active validator count dropped from 1,364 to 783 over the past year.

The decline accelerated after Solana Foundation introduced "pruning" in April 2025, removing underperforming operators to improve network quality.

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Why It Matters

The sluggish upgrade response highlights infrastructure risks despite Solana's dominant on-chain activity.

DEX volumes reached approximately $30 billion weekly, up 25% from the previous week according to DeFiLlama data.

Solana's stablecoin market cap surged to $15 billion, representing a 200% increase over the past year.

The network processes eight times more daily transactions than any competing blockchain.

Fewer validators concentrates control among larger operators, potentially undermining decentralization as economic activity grows.

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