We’re excited to share that we have successfully completed the audit of the zero-knowledge Distributed Key Generation (DKG) protocol powering the Anti-MEV solution on Neo X.

The audit was conducted by Hacken, a leading Web3-native security company. Following Hacken’s comprehensive audit, we collaborated closely with their experts to refine and optimize the code in accordance with their recommendations. With these enhancements complete, we are confident that the code is fully prepared for the next phase of deployment.

This marks the final step before we deploy to TestNet, then MainNet, bringing Neo X’s Anti-MEV functionality to life.

Our Anti-MEV Mission on Neo X

Neo X is a high-performance, EVM-compatible chain running in parallel with Neo N3. It serves as a bridge and frontier between the Neo ecosystem and the broader EVM world. But we’re not only focused on compatibility — Neo X is also designed to tackle one of DeFi’s biggest problems: Maximal Extractable Value (MEV).

MEV happens when block producers reorder transactions for profit, extracting billions of dollars from users each year. To stop this, we use enveloped transactions — a mechanism that seals transaction details from block producers until after confirmation. This removes the ability to reorder transactions for personal gain.

Why DKG Matters

The Distributed Key Generation (DKG) protocol is the cryptographic core of Neo X’s Anti-MEV design. It allows validators to collaboratively generate key pairs, where the public key is used to encrypt (or “envelope”) transactions. The private keys are split among the validators, and a threshold — typically two-thirds of validators — is required to decrypt the transaction. This mechanism ensures that transactions remain secure, prevents any single validator from censoring or manipulating them, and guarantees block finality while avoiding chain reorganizations.

Audit Outcomes

Hacken’s audit identified 15 findings:

• 11 issues were fully resolved

• 4 were acknowledged and accepted
  
  

With these addressed, we believe the code is now ready for deployment.

Read the full audit report here: https://hacken.io/audits/neo-x/l1-neo-x-zk-dkg-functionality-jun2025/

About Hacken

Born on blockchain, Hacken is an end-to-end blockchain security and compliance partner for digital assets. Since its founding in 2017, Hacken has been trusted by 1,500 adopters, including the European Commission, ADGM, MetaMask, Ethereum Foundation, and Binance.

We’re honored to have their expertise backing our work, reinforcing the trust and reliability of our network.

What’s Next

With the audit behind us, we’re preparing to roll out Anti-MEV on Neo X — first to TestNet, and then to MainNet. This innovation is designed to deliver a more fair, secure, and trustworthy DeFi environment for everyone building and transacting in the Neo ecosystem.

We can’t wait to share the next updates as we move toward going live. Stay tuned!