Company
Date Published
Author
Thomas Hodges
Word count
815
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

The Chainlink whitepaper section explores the enhanced security and confidentiality features of an ideal oracle solution, focusing on oracle confidentiality, infrastructure changes, and off-chain computation. It emphasizes the use of trusted hardware, specifically Intel's Software Guard Extensions (SGX), which enables secure execution within a protected enclave, safeguarding sensitive data like usernames and passwords from unauthorized access. The Town Crier oracle, operating on Ethereum's blockchain, exemplifies this by processing confidential data without exposing it, such as securely verifying game ownership or flight information. SGX ensures the integrity of oracle operations through cryptographic verification and signed attestations, while infrastructure enhancements like TLS-N could further bolster oracle security, albeit with limitations in aggregation and increased costs. The paper also suggests that future off-chain computations, currently restricted by a regex-based language, should be moved largely to oracles to reduce smart contract costs and enhance confidentiality, underscoring SGX's role in advancing the Chainlink Network's security framework.