EIP-8184: Encrypted Mempool (Lucid Protocol)
EIP-8184 proposes a threshold-encrypted mempool called Lucid. Transactions are encrypted when submitted and only decrypted after the block proposer has committed to an ordering. This prevents MEV bots from reading pending transactions and inserting frontrun or sandwich transactions ahead of victims. The protocol uses a distributed committee of validators to hold encryption keys, with threshold decryption ensuring no single party can decrypt early.
Authors: Justin Drake · Barnabé Monnot
Protocol Impact
Cryptographic protection against mempool MEVPROJECTED
- Transactions are encrypted before entering the public mempool
- Block proposer commits to ordering before decryption keys are released
- Eliminates most frontrunning and sandwich attack vectors
- Requires distributed key committee — adds latency vs standard txs (~200–400ms)
- Opt-in initially: senders choose encrypted or public submission
MEV Attack Surface by Category
Estimated MEV extractable volume per attack type — before vs after EIP-8184MEV REDUCTION
| Metric | Before | After EIP-8184 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontrunning | 100% exposed | ~5% residual | -95% |
| Sandwich Attacks | 100% exposed | ~8% residual | -92% |
| JIT Liquidity MEV | 60% exposed | ~45% (ordering-based) | -25% |
| Backrunning | 100% exposed | ~85% (order-commit leak) | -15% |
Frontrun/sandwich eliminated by commit-reveal. Backrun and JIT partially persist — depend on ordering intent, not tx content.
Glamsterdam Upgrade
Other EIPs activated in the same forkGlamsterdamUPCOMING