Modular Security
ISM Marketplace
The ISM Marketplace is a registry of Interchain Security Modules (ISMs) that lets developers customize how their messages are verified. Application teams can choose ISMs based on their security, latency, and cost requirements (i.e., using stricter verification for high-value messages and lighter ISMs for routine transfers).
The marketplace includes both standard ISMs from Abacus Works, and community-contributed ISMs developed by partner teams and community members.
Standard ISMs
Standard ISMs are developed and maintained by Abacus Works.| ISM Name | Type | Stage | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregation ISM (Static) | Composition | In Production | Combines multiple ISMs together, requiring all or a k‑of‑n subset to agree for validation. |
| Aggregation ISM (Storage) | Composition | In Production | Combines multiple ISMs together, requiring all or a k‑of‑n subset to agree for validation. The module set and threshold are stored in state and can be updated after deployment. |
| Routing ISM | Composition | In Production | Directs messages to different ISMs depending on the origin domain. |
| Amount Routing ISM | Composition | In Development | Routes messages to different ISMs based on the amount of the transfer. |
| Fallback Routing ISM | Composition | In Production | Provides a backup ISM path if the origin domain is not configured in the routing map. |
| ICA Routing ISM | Composition | In Production | Routes messages through Interchain Accounts (ICA). |
| Pausable ISM | Composition | In Production | Allows message flow to be paused in emergencies. |
| Rate Limited ISM | Composition | In Development | Uses a token bucket rate limiter to throttle the amount that can be sent via HWR within a given time interval. Only applies to HWR applications/message encoding. |
| Merkle Root Multisig ISM | Security | In Production | Verifies k‑of‑n signatures on a Merkle root and employs Merkle proofs of message IDs in this root. |
| Merkle Root Multisig ISM (Storage) | Security | In Production | Verifies k‑of‑n signatures on a Merkle root and employs Merkle proofs of message IDs in this root. The module set and threshold are stored in state and can be updated after deployment. |
| Message ID Multisig ISM | Security | In Production | Verifies k‑of‑n signatures on a message ID. The signatures are from the checkpoint struct and are shared across related ISMs. |
| Message ID Multisig ISM (Storage) | Security | In Production | Verifies k‑of‑n signatures on a message ID. The signatures are from the checkpoint struct and are shared across related ISMs. The module set and threshold are stored in state and can be updated after deployment. |
| Weighted Merkle Root Multisig ISM | Security | In Development | A weighted voting system, extending Merkle Root multisig, where each signer’s influence is weighted by their stake. |
| Weighted Message ID Multisig ISM | Security | In Development | A weighted voting system on top of Message ID multisig. |
| Offchain Lookup ISM | Security | In Production | Functions as an abstraction for building verification logic that leverages external data sources for validation. |
| Chainlink CCIP ISM | Security | In Production | Leverages Chainlink CCIP to validate messages. |
| Arbitrum L2 to L1 ISM | Security | In Development | Verifies cross-chain messages from Arbitrum L2 to Ethereum L1 using Arbitrum’s native proof system. |
| OP Stack ISM | Security | In Development | Verifies cross-chain messages from OP Stack rollups using the OP Stack native security model. |
| Noop ISM / Test ISM | Security | In Production | ISM for testing purposes. |
| Trusted Relayer ISM | Security | In Production | Relies on a trusted relayer to deliver the message on the Mailbox. |
- Static variants are immutable in bytecode.
- Storage variants keep module sets and thresholds mutable in state.
Community ISMs
Community ISMs are developed and maintained by contributors outside Abacus Works.| ISM Name | Type | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Axelar ISM | Security | In Development |
| Celestia ZK ISM | Security | In Development |
| Noble ISM | Security | In Development |
| Polygon zkEVM V2 ISM | Security | In Development |
| Succinct Lightclient ISM | Security | In Development |
| Timelock ISM | Security | In Development |
| Wormhole ISM | Security | In Development |