TEE-BFT: Pricing the Security of Data Center Execution Assurance

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Shamis, Alex, Stephenson, Matt, Zhou, Linfeng
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866909887807619072
author Shamis, Alex
Stephenson, Matt
Zhou, Linfeng
author_facet Shamis, Alex
Stephenson, Matt
Zhou, Linfeng
contents Blockchains face inherent limitations when communicating outside their own ecosystem, largely due to the Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) 3f+1 security model. Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) are a promising mitigation because they allow a single trusted broker to interface securely with external systems. This paper develops a cost-of-collusion principal-agent model for compromising a TEE in a Data Center Execution Assurance design. The model isolates the main drivers of attack profitability: a K-of-n coordination threshold, independent detection risk q, heterogeneous per-member sanctions F_i, and a short-window flow prize (omega) proportional to the value secured (beta times V). We derive closed-form deterrence thresholds and a conservative design bound (V_safe) that make collusion unprofitable under transparent parameter choices. Calibrations based on time-advantaged arbitrage indicate that plausible TEE parameters can protect on the order of one trillion dollars in value.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_26091
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle TEE-BFT: Pricing the Security of Data Center Execution Assurance
Shamis, Alex
Stephenson, Matt
Zhou, Linfeng
Theoretical Economics
91B26, 91A80, 68M14 91B26, 91A80, 68M1491B26, 91A80, 68M14 91B26, 91A80, 68M14
Blockchains face inherent limitations when communicating outside their own ecosystem, largely due to the Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) 3f+1 security model. Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) are a promising mitigation because they allow a single trusted broker to interface securely with external systems. This paper develops a cost-of-collusion principal-agent model for compromising a TEE in a Data Center Execution Assurance design. The model isolates the main drivers of attack profitability: a K-of-n coordination threshold, independent detection risk q, heterogeneous per-member sanctions F_i, and a short-window flow prize (omega) proportional to the value secured (beta times V). We derive closed-form deterrence thresholds and a conservative design bound (V_safe) that make collusion unprofitable under transparent parameter choices. Calibrations based on time-advantaged arbitrage indicate that plausible TEE parameters can protect on the order of one trillion dollars in value.
title TEE-BFT: Pricing the Security of Data Center Execution Assurance
topic Theoretical Economics
91B26, 91A80, 68M14 91B26, 91A80, 68M1491B26, 91A80, 68M14 91B26, 91A80, 68M14
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.26091