SSV distributed validators by SSV Network (SSV Labs, SSV DAO): status and timeline

SSV distributed validators

Remove single points of failure from Ethereum staking: if one server crashes or one company is hacked, validators keep signing, and no operator alone can steal or double-sign with a validator's key.

ScalingStage 5 of 5

~7.4M ETH on ~118,000 validators (Apr 2026); ETH-paid fees and SSV staking live since Apr 29, 2026.

Updated 29 Apr 2026Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Permissionless, stake-weighted oracle selection

Ethereum Foundation grant2021Complete.
Mainnet launch14 Sep 2023Complete.
Lido's Simple DVT module approved (SSV and Obol)Feb 2024Complete.
SSV staking, ETH fees, effective-balance oracles29 Apr 2026Complete.
Permissionless, stake-weighted oracle selectionNot yet reached.

Most important updates

Current obstacles

Oracles are permissioned for nowFour DAO-elected operators bring validator balances on-chain; a faulty or colluding set could misprice fees until selection opens up.
Colluding operatorsIf enough operators in one cluster collude to reach the signing threshold, they can still misuse the validator.

Physics limits

Fault tolerance needs extra machinesByzantine agreement requires n ≥ 3f + 1 participants: tolerating one bad operator needs four, tolerating two needs seven, multiplying hardware and fees.
Every vote adds network delayOperators must message each other before each signature, and Ethereum gives validators seconds per slot, so far-apart clusters risk late votes.

How it works

4 parts

Split

Cut the key into shares

The validator's private key is split into n shares with Shamir secret sharing; each share is encrypted to one operator's public key.

Agree

Operators vote on each duty

For every block proposal or attestation, the cluster's operators run a QBFT consensus round so they all sign the same message.

Sign

A threshold rebuilds the signature

Signatures from a threshold of shares (e.g. 3 of 4) combine into one valid validator signature, so no single operator holds the full key.

Pay

Fees in ETH, by stake

Since 2026 network and operator fees are paid in ETH and scale with each validator's effective balance, read on-chain via oracles.

Spec sheet

Spec	SSV distributed validators
ETH staked through SSV (Apr 2026)	~7.4M ETH^R (reported)
Validators (Apr 2026)	~118,000^R (reported)
Node operators (Apr 2026)	~1,900^R (reported)
Faults tolerated, 4-operator cluster	1 of 4^R (reported)
Cluster sizes	4, 7, 10 or 13 operators^R (reported)
Bug bounty (Immunefi)	up to $250,000^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

3 updates

About SSV Network (SSV Labs, SSV DAO)

The team behind SSV distributed validators

SSV Network (SSV Labs, SSV DAO)

Distributed validators for Ethereum staking

SSV Network runs Ethereum validators across several independent operators: each validator key is split into shares so no single machine or company can sign alone, and the validator stays online if one operator fails.

Secures ~7.4M ETH across ~118,000 validators and ~1,900 operators (Apr 2026), the largest DVT network.
One of two distributed-validator providers in Lido's Simple DVT module.
Fees moved from the SSV token to ETH with the April 2026 staking upgrade.

ssv.network (opens ssv.network)Company profile →

Headquarters: Israel
Status: Private
Valuation: private
Works in: CryptoStaking & block building
Coverage: 1 program · 3 updateslatest 29 Apr 2026checked 11 Oct
Customers: Lido (opens blog.lido.fi)
Partners: KrakenEthereum Foundation
People: Alon MurochSSV protocol lead (at 2023 mainnet launch)

Spec

SSV distributed validators

ETH staked through SSV (Apr 2026)

~7.4M ETH^R (reported)

Validators (Apr 2026)

~118,000^R (reported)

Node operators (Apr 2026)

~1,900^R (reported)

Faults tolerated, 4-operator cluster

1 of 4^R (reported)

Cluster sizes

4, 7, 10 or 13 operators^R (reported)

Bug bounty (Immunefi)

up to $250,000^R (reported)

SSV distributed validators

Milestones

Most important updates

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Cut the key into shares

Operators vote on each duty

A threshold rebuilds the signature

Fees in ETH, by stake

Spec sheet

Update log

Wed 29 Apr

Tue 16 Apr 2024

Thu 14 Sep 2023

About SSV Network (SSV Labs, SSV DAO)

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Cut the key into shares

Operators vote on each duty

A threshold rebuilds the signature

Fees in ETH, by stake

Spec sheet

Update log

Wed 29 Apr

Tue 16 Apr 2024

Thu 14 Sep 2023

About SSV Network (SSV Labs, SSV DAO)