Aptos rolls out Encrypted Mempool to curb frontrunning, sandwich attacks

PRODUCTAptos rolls out EncryptedMempool to curb frontrunning,sandwich attacks21IMPORTANCECLOSED3NEWS MEDIA3PIECESOct 12, 2026 13:09blockboard.net

Aptos switched on an optional encrypted mempool on mainnet, with AIP-144 allowing transaction details to be encrypted before submission while sender addresses and gas fees stay visible. The rollout was described as keeping pending-trade details hidden until transaction order is finalized, and it was framed as a step aimed at reducing frontrunning and sandwich attacks. One report also tied the launch to the end of Aptos’s four-year token unlock schedule on the same day.

What this rests on

Claim by claim, with its source
✓
Aptos turned on an optional encrypted mempool on its mainnet under AIP-144, letting users encrypt transaction details before submission while sender addresses and gas fees remain visible.
✓
The feature keeps transaction details hidden until their order is finalized, which is meant to block bots from using pending trades.
✓
Aptos said the encrypted mempool is aimed at protecting pending trades from frontrunning and sandwich attacks.
✓
The encrypted mempool went live on the same day Aptos’s four-year token unlock schedule ended.

What it means

Who it affects, what changes and what is still unconfirmed

Each sentence links inside to the piece that supports it.

Users who submit transactions on Aptos notice the change right away because the mempool now hides transaction contents before finality while still showing sender addresses and gas fees. That means people watching pending trades on the network see a different level of transaction privacy than before, but not a complete blackout of transaction metadata.

In practice, the network has an optional path for transactions that keeps details encrypted until order is finalized, while the visible parts of a transaction remain visible. What changes is the handling of pending-trade contents; what does not change is that sender addresses and gas fees are still exposed. (per cointelegraph.com)

Market reaction

AP Aptos it is the asset of the company or protocol in the event from 2 h before to 4 h after the line marks the first headline
published
-0.69 % before publication
-4.75 % after
$1price at publication
12series points

How the story was built

Every piece in order, with the time its news medium declares — if it is not believable we use ours and say so — and what it added to what was already known at that point. Arriving first is not the same as adding something.

first
Oct 13 00:52
+4 h 15 m
Oct 13 05:07
crypto.news context
Its angle: launches, protect, losses
+18 h 8 m
Oct 13 19:00
CR Cryptopolitan context
Its angle: cryptographer, transactions, improvement; with quotes

Has this happened before?

WhenWhat happenedFigure
10 days ago Aptos unveils MonoMove, claiming up to 55x faster smart contract execution event 1 actors in common · 3 news media
15 days ago Aptos Pushes Private v1.49.2 Hotfix Candidate To Testnet Validators event 1 actors in common · 3 news media