Near taps Nym for metadata privacy, encryption services
Layer-1 protocol Near has tapped blockchain security firm Nym to provide end-to-end encryption and metadata privacy services for its ecosystem.
Nym, which provides blockchain agnostic layer-0 privacy infrastructure, will avail its mixnet tools to encrypt and cloak blockchain traffic and communication across the Near Protocol ecosystem.
Masking off-chain metadata traffic will protect transaction data during communication and create a barrier for malicious actors looking to de-anonymize users through access to IP addresses.
Related: Cricket World Cup to feature Web3 fan app as ICC taps into Near blockchain
An announcement from the collaborating projects states that Near users will be able to access ecosystem decentralized applications (DApps), decentralized finance protocols and nonfungible tokens with added security and privacy.
Nym’s integration aims to provide added privacy to the Near ecosystem, given that permissionless blockchains typically allow for transaction data and some off-chain information to be accessed by savvy users, including IP addresses and geolocation data.
This provides a vector for unwanted surveillance, targeted attacks and cybercrime. A statement from Nym CEO Harry Halpin highlights the importance of privacy-preserving tools to improve the nascent Web3 space:
Nym’s mixnet protects blockchain traffic from detailed analysis by splitting data into encrypted packets that are then sent to “mix nodes” around the world. “Cover traffic” is randomly inserted into the mix to provide greater obfuscation of the communication system, greatly increasing the difficulty of metadata analysis.
Near Foundation CEO Chris Donovan notes that Nym’s technology will afford ecosystem participants greater privacy when using
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