Safeheron, a leading digital asset infrastructure firm in Singapore, has launched an open-source Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) framework. This innovative solution promises to boost security and privacy in the Web3 space, particularly in decentralized finance (DeFi), payment platforms, and decentralized autonomous organizations.
The TEE framework is the premier one to be built on the original Intel SGX SDK and crafted using modern C++. This versatile, object-oriented programming language is typically employed in operating systems, video game development, and high-performance computing.
Safeheron’s decision to open-source the framework was driven by increasing industry-wide apprehension about closed, non-transparent systems, especially in light of an uptick in security breaches. Wade Wang, CEO of Safeheron, told Cointelegraph, “We’re not threatened by competitors; what concerns us is the stagnation of innovation due to closed systems.”
TEE is a pivotal technology designed to safeguard code and data by creating secure, separated spaces within CPUs, often referred to as “enclaves.” These enclaves enable programs to operate while being shielded from external threats, including those originating from within the hardware itself.
TEE technology is employed in various Web3 sectors, including privacy-centric blockchains, oracles, DeFi, payments services, and exchanges. Some well-known users of TEEs include Oasis Network, Secret Network, and Phala Network, while others such as Chainlink are suspected of using TEEs.
Safeheron’s newly launched TEE framework empowers clients to utilize cloud services to form enclaves. It is compatible with any cloud service, including public ones, that supports Intel SGX servers.
Having served over 100 clients, primarily comprising payment providers, OTC desks, trading firms, and wallet service providers, Safeheron’s total transfer volume recently exceeded the $100 billion mark. The firm secured a pre-Series A funding round of $7 million in August 2022, which was allocated towards research, development, and business expansion.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed the addition of a TEE to the Ethereum ecosystem in his April 11 roadmap to enhance user privacy. He also suggested integrating privacy-protecting tools within Ether (ETH) wallets, where TEEs could provide protection for private wallet keys.
TEE technology also finds application in Succinct Non-Interactive Arguments of Knowledge, or SNARKs. A 2024 study by Imperial College London identified vulnerabilities in the circuit layer posing substantial threats to these systems, where again TEEs could offer protection from internal attacks.
