Announcing NCR#1 Audit Partners

[Savio-Sou]

Overview

The NCR#1 initiative orients around pushing the frontiers on privacy-first and provable emails, in turn unlocking new applications that uniquely leverage the technology and ultimately benefits end users.

In addition to offering $80,000 in grants towards the research and development of this initiative, we are onboarding audit partners that share the same vision to support the adoption of technological advancements coming out of this research campaign.

From the amazing support we have received from auditing communities since, we are excited to share that the following 4 audit partners will be sponsoring the audits of research outcome from the to-be-selected NCR#1 project teams.

Audit Partners

ConsenSys Diligence

Since its inception in 2017, ConsenSys Diligence has been at the forefront of enhancing blockchain security. With a team of exceptionally talented researchers, Diligence is committed to advancing the blockchain ecosystem through open-source initiatives, promoting best practices, and securing some of the most recognized and complex projects. The team pioneers cutting edge fuzzing technology for zero knowledge mechanisms and has identified a multitude of issues across the majority of widely used ZK frameworks. Diligence’s comprehensive services span Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), Starknet, and zero-knowledge (ZK) projects, ensuring that blockchain applications are secure and users are protected.

“ConsenSys Diligence is proud to be selected as one of the trusted partners of the Noir community, alongside other teams such as Nethermind, OpenZeppelin, and Veridise. Our collaboration with Aztec began many years ago, and we have always been proud of the work we did together, whether it was on the fuzzing side or during manual engagements. This initiative is a logical next step in the partnership and in preparation for the imminent launch of Noir 1.0.”

Goncalo Sa
Founder of Diligence

Nethermind Security

Nethermind Security, Nethermind’s dedicated security division, brings together an elite team of auditors and blockchain experts. Widely recognized as one of the industry's most respected blockchain security firms, Nethermind Security serves as auditing partners for several of the world's most critical protocols and blockchain ecosystems. The team’s comprehensive security solutions extend beyond auditing, to include Formal Verification, Real-Time Monitoring, Code Architecture Consultancy, and Security Assistance During Development. Nethermind Security embodies the full spectrum of the team’s blockchain expertise, focused on delivering best-in-class security solutions.

“Nethermind Security aims to be a strong security partner for Aztec and a significant contributor to the Aztec ecosystem and Noir community. This strategic partnership marks a significant milestone in advancing security for Layer 2 solutions within the Ethereum ecosystem. By combining Aztec's innovative privacy and scalability technology with Nethermind Security's cutting-edge expertise in smart contract auditing, we ensure that the Aztec blockchain achieves its full potential in terms of efficiency and confidentiality while maintaining the highest standard of security. Together, Aztec, Nethermind Security, ConsenSys Diligence, OpenZeppelin, and Veridise are shaping a future where privacy and security go hand in hand, driving the secure and sustainable adoption of decentralized technologies.”

Cristiano Silva, PhD
Head of Nethermind Security

OpenZeppelin

OpenZeppelin is the standard for secure on-chain applications at any scale: dedicated to clients, the security of their code, and instilling trust and confidence within their communities. With an elite team that brings together unparalleled expertise in PhD-level mathematics, cryptography, low-level EVM operations, and finance, OpenZeppelin is the gold standard in securing the industry’s most complex and widely-used projects.

“We are excited to partner with Aztec, bringing together our team of Noir experts, cryptographers, and circuit specialists with Aztec's groundbreaking privacy and scalability technology. At OpenZeppelin, our mission to protect the open economy drives us to support innovative projects like Aztec. Together, we aim to set a new standard for security, privacy, and scalability in decentralized ecosystems, ensuring that the Aztec blockchain achieves its full potential.”

Jota Carpanelli
Head of Security Services of OpenZeppelin

Veridise

Veridise is a blockchain security company founded by a team of world-class researchers. The team’s mission is to put state-of-the-art security tools at the fingertips of web3 developers. Veridise has built numerous in-house security analysis tools based on years of academic research experience. Veridise specializes in auditing smart contracts, blockchain implementations, and possesses particular expertise in zero-knowledge-related audits.

“We’re excited to partner with Aztec to evaluate and improve the security of NCR#1 projects. This partnership demonstrates Aztec’s commitment to security and we hope that this establishes the standard for projects in the ecosystem. We have been closely following Aztec and the Noir DSL for a long time and are excited to apply our extensive knowledge of Smart Contract and ZK security to this domain.”

Jon Stephens
CEO & Co-founder of Veridise

Acknowledgements

I would love to personally welcome the audit partners to the Noir community, and on behalf of the bigger community thank the audit partners for the generous support of the ecosystem.

I would also like to thank all auditors that have submitted a partnership proposal. The selection of partners to onboard was an exceptionally tough decision with the superior quality shown across the board. Looking forward to the opportunity to collaborate on future endeavors.

What's next for NCR#1

Research proposal submission is now closed. The selection committee is carefully reviewing the submissions, and will be announcing the selected proposals here on GitHub Discussions no later than 5 September 2024. Stay tuned!

DISCLAIMER

The information set out herein is for discussion purposes only and does not represent any binding indication or commitment by Aztec Labs and its employees to take any action whatsoever, including relating to the structure, any potential operation and/or features of the Aztec protocol, the protocol roadmap or the Noir language. In particular: (i) nothing in these posts is intended to create any contractual or other form of legal relationship with Aztec Labs or third parties who engage with such posts (including, without limitation, by submitting a proposal or responding to posts), (ii) by engaging with any post, the relevant persons are consenting to Aztec Labs’ use and publication of such engagement and related information on an open-source basis (and agree that Aztec Labs will not treat such engagement and related information as confidential), and (iii) Aztec Labs is not under any duty to consider any or all engagements, and that consideration of such engagements and any decision to award grants or other rewards for any such engagement is entirely at Aztec Labs’ sole discretion. Please do not rely on any information on this forum for any purpose - the development, release, and timing of any products, features or functionality remains subject to change and is currently entirely hypothetical. Nothing on this forum should be treated as an offer to sell any security or any other asset by Aztec Labs or its affiliates, and you should not rely on any forum posts or content for advice of any kind, including legal, investment, financial, tax or other professional advice.