# The Forking Way: When TEEs Meet Consensus

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.00706 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.00706/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 1 Dec 2024.

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Securing Private Federated Learning in a Malicious Setting: A Scalable TEE-Based Approach with Client Auditing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.08709/) (2025)
- [Crypto x AI, AI x Crypto: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.13892/) (2026)
- [Share No More Than the Request Requires: Federated Disclosure for Perspective-Aware AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.22953/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

An increasing number of distributed platforms combine Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) with blockchains. Indeed, many hail the combination of TEEs and blockchains a good "marriage": TEEs bring confidential computing to the blockchain while the consensus layer could help defend TEEs from forking attacks. In this paper, we systemize how current blockchain solutions integrate TEEs and to what extent they are secure against forking attacks. To do so, we thoroughly analyze 29 proposals for TEE-based blockchains, ranging from academic proposals to production-ready platforms. We uncover a lack of consensus in the community on how to combine TEEs and blockchains. In particular, we identify four broad means to interconnect TEEs with consensus, analyze their limitations, and discuss possible remedies. Our analysis also reveals previously undocumented forking attacks on three production-ready TEE-based blockchains: Ten, Phala, and the Secret Network. We leverage our analysis to propose effective countermeasures against those vulnerabilities; we responsibly disclosed our findings to the developers of each affected platform.