The Ethereum Name Service (ENS) DAO has approved and activated a new eight-member Security Council with the power to veto malicious governance proposals before they execute. The council, which will operate under a five-of-eight multisig structure, serves as an emergency safeguard following a series of high-profile DAO attacks, including the recent $20 million treasury drain of BonkDAO.
The Security Council can only cancel proposals that have already passed an ENS token holder vote and are within the protocol’s mandatory two-day timelock — the period between approval and execution. During this window, members can intervene if a proposal is determined to be the result of fraud, bribery, vote buying, flash-loan manipulation, stolen credentials, or other exploitative tactics. Its authority does not extend to moving treasury funds, altering approved transactions, or substituting its own decisions; ordinary policy disputes remain under the sole purview of token holders and delegates.
The council’s powers are deliberately narrow, designed as an “emergency brake” for scenarios where malicious code has been hidden inside a legitimate-looking proposal, as occurred in the 2023 Tornado Cash governance takeover. The structure also requires a higher approval threshold than its predecessor — five signatures instead of four — to prevent misuse of the veto. Members, including ENS founder Nick Johnson and other security professionals, were elected through a ranked-choice vote and must comply with a public charter, sign appointment agreements, and undergo background checks.
The council is authorized for a two-year term expiring on July 16, 2028, after which its authority will lapse unless the DAO votes to extend it. The outgoing council’s mandate ends on July 24, 2026, ensuring no gap in protection during the transition. The move aims to fortify ENS governance against the rising trend of governance capture, while preserving decentralized decision-making for legitimate proposals.
