The Ethereum Name Service DAO activated an eight-member Security Council with authority to cancel malicious governance proposals before execution. The council operates through a five-of-eight multisignature wallet and will serve until July 16, 2028. Members include ENS founder Nick Johnson, Hudson Jameson, Pablo Sabbatella, Colton Liberacki, Kevin Gaspar, Alex Van de Sande, Griff Green and Alex Netto. The council functions as an emergency safeguard during the protocol's two-day execution delay, known as a timelock. ENS DAO approved the structure after a ranked-choice election, raising the signature threshold from four-of-eight to reduce minority misuse risk.
Security Council Operates Through Five-of-Eight Multisignature Wallet
The council requires at least five members to approve any intervention. The previous council required four signatures from eight members. ENS DAO approved the final onchain proposal after selecting members through a ranked-choice election. Each member must publicly affirm the council's charter, sign an appointment agreement with the ENS Foundation and undergo identity and background checks. The framework creates a process for removing members who knowingly act beyond their mandate.
Council Authority Limited to Malicious Proposals During Timelock
The council can only cancel a proposal that has passed an ENS tokenholder vote and entered the protocol's two-day execution delay. During the timelock, delegates and community members can inspect transactions attached to an approved proposal. The council can intervene if transactions appear to result from fraud, bribery, vote buying, flash-loan manipulation, stolen credentials or another exploit of the governance process. Its mandate also covers proposals that violate a specific article of the ENS Constitution, transfer assets to an unauthorized recipient or alter important protocol contracts after voting support was obtained through documented coercion or manipulation.
Council members cannot introduce proposals, amend an approved transaction, redirect treasury assets or substitute their preferred outcome for the DAO's decision. Ordinary disagreements involving budgets, organizational structure or protocol policy remain outside its remit.
Beanstalk Attack in 2022 Resulted in $77 Million Loss
In 2022, an attacker used borrowed voting power to pass malicious proposals against Beanstalk, resulting in the removal of approximately $77 million in non-Beanstalk user assets. ENS also cited incidents in which proposal code concealed functionality that became dangerous only after approval. Token voting alone may not protect against fast-moving governance attacks.
Council Term Expires July 16, 2028 Without Automatic Renewal
The council's two-year expiration is intended to prevent its emergency power from becoming permanent by default. Once the term ends, its cancellation authority can be removed unless ENS DAO approves an extension through another governance vote. The outgoing council's authority expires on July 24, 2026, creating a short overlap with the newly activated body.
FAQ
What authority does the ENS Security Council have?
The council can cancel malicious governance proposals that have passed tokenholder votes and entered the two-day execution delay. It can intervene if transactions result from fraud, bribery, vote buying, flash-loan manipulation, stolen credentials or other governance exploits. Council members cannot introduce proposals, amend transactions or redirect treasury assets.
How long will the ENS Security Council serve?
The council will serve until July 16, 2028. The two-year term is designed to prevent emergency power from becoming permanent by default. Once the term ends, its authority can be removed unless ENS DAO approves an extension through another governance vote. The outgoing council's authority expires on July 24, 2026.
