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Secure Enclave Contracts

1 min read
Pronunciation
[si-kyoor en-klayv kon-trakts]
Analogy
Secure enclave contracts are like secret meeting rooms where discussions are hidden from everyone outside.
Definition
Privacy-preserving smart contracts executed within Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs), encrypting inputs, outputs, and state to protect confidentiality.
Key Points Intro
Secure enclave contracts combine blockchain verification with TEE confidentiality.
Key Points

Confidentiality: code and data remain encrypted outside TEEs

Attestation: remote proof of correct code execution

Off-chain compute: heavy processing occurs within TEEs

Hybrid model: on-chain logic enforces state transitions

Example
Secret Network runs smart contracts inside Intel SGX enclaves, keeping user data private while publicly verifying transaction integrity.
Technical Deep Dive
Contracts deploy encrypted bytecode; off-chain TEE nodes fetch, decrypt, and execute code, then generate attestation proofs. Consensus layers verify attestations and commit encrypted state updates. Enigma uses MPC instead of TEEs for enhanced decentralization.
Security Warning
TEEs have known vulnerabilities (e.g., Spectre, Meltdown) and rely on hardware vendor trust.
Caveat
Performance overhead and limited TEE availability constrain scalability.

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