Blockchain Mining Block Signing via Trusted Execution Environment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current blockchain consensus protocols, such as Proof-of-Work, face inefficiencies and security risks due to energy wastage and the potential for intentional forks, which can lead to double-spending attacks and slow down network consensus.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mining computing entity (MCE) and a trusted execution environment computing entity (TEE-CE) that verifies and signs blocks based on block height information, ensuring that each block is uniquely signed and preventing miners from working on multiple forks simultaneously.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If Proof-of-Work mining protocol is used, then security against double-spending is improved, but energy consumption and computational waste increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the Proof-of-Work mechanical computation system with a Proof-of-Identity virtual mining system. Instead of requiring miners to perform energy-intensive hashing computations, the system uses TEE-verified digital signatures and block height tracking to validate mining rights. The TEE-CE verifies miner identity and block height information computationally without energy-intensive brute-force hashing, thereby eliminating the energy waste while maintaining security against double-spending attacks.
2Loss of energy
If virtual mining protocols (PoS, PoET) are used, then energy consumption is reduced, but the risk of nothing-at-stake attacks and intentional forks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces TEE-CE (Trusted Execution Environment Computing Entity) as an intermediary between the miner and the blockchain network. The TEE-CE verifies the miner's identity and block height information using secure hardware-based authentication. This intermediary prevents nothing-at-stake attacks by ensuring that only authenticated miners can create blocks at specific heights, and it prevents intentional forks by validating that the block height sequence is continuous and authorized, thereby maintaining security while keeping energy consumption low.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mining validation parameters from computational difficulty (Proof-of-Work) to identity verification and block height tracking (Proof-of-Identity). Instead of measuring mining validity through hashing power and computational effort, the system validates blocks based on the miner's authenticated identity and the sequential block height information verified by TEE-CE. This parameter change eliminates energy waste while preventing forks through strict height validation.
3Productivity
If miners can work on multiple forks simultaneously, then mining efficiency is improved, but the number of forks increases exponentially and consensus speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary validation of block height information by TEE-CE before a miner can create a block. The TEE-CE pre-verifies the correct block height sequence and authenticates the miner's identity before allowing block creation. This preliminary action prevents miners from arbitrarily creating blocks on multiple forks, as each block must be pre-validated against the canonical chain height. Consequently, miners work on a single validated fork sequence, maintaining consensus speed while preserving mining efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for mining a block in a decentralized blockchain consensus network, said method comprising the steps of a) Sending by a mining computing entity, 'MCE', a signing request for mining a new block of a blockchain to a trusted execution environment computing entity, 'TEE-CE', said signing request including block information, said block information including block height information, b) Comparing, by the TEE-CE, the block height information of the signing request with the block height information from the last signing request and providing a matching, when the difference between said two block height information satisfies a defined value c) Upon matching, signing, by said TEE-CE the new block based on the block information, and d) Providing by said MCE, the new signed block to said decentralized blockchain consensus network.