| title | Vendor: The Interfold |
|---|---|
| status | draft |
| maturity | mainnet |
The Interfold is an open-source protocol that coordinates Encrypted Execution Environments (E3s) through a distributed network of ciphernodes. It enables independent parties to compute over encrypted inputs and produce shared, verifiable outcomes without concentrating custody, visibility, or execution authority in a single operator. The protocol integrates Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE), Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs), and Distributed Threshold Cryptography (DTC), along with blockchain-based protocol economics, to ensure correctness and confidentiality throughout execution.
- Publicly Verifiable DKG & Threshold Decryption. Core cryptographic layer: PVSS-based DKG with on-chain verifier circuits, threshold decryption with per-share ZK proofs, and slashing for provable misbehavior
- Ephemeral Committees & Disposable Encrypted State. Single-use committees with mandatory key disposal after decryption, rendering all undecrypted state permanently inaccessible
- Private Shared State (FHE). FHE-based computation across multiple independent parties
- Private Set Intersection (FHE). Encrypted computation over datasets from multiple sources
- Pretrade Privacy (Encryption). Sealed-bid auctions and confidential matching
- Threshold Encrypted Mempool. Shared threshold cryptography approach for distributed trust
- TEE-Based Privacy. E3s are an alternative to TEEs, replacing trusted hardware with distributed threshold cryptography
- Noir Private Contracts. Interfold uses Noir for ZK circuit (C0–C7) development
- ZK-based L2 privacy (e.g., Aztec, Scroll). Interfold coordinates ephemeral computations, not persistent shielded state
- General-purpose MPC. Interfold targets specific multiparty coordination use cases with FHE-based execution
- TEEs. Interfold replaces hardware trust with cryptographic and economic guarantees, not hardware enclaves
The protocol coordinates five lifecycle phases per E3:
- Request: A Requester submits a computation request specifying the E3 Program, committee size, input window, and Compute Provider parameters. A fee proportional to requested resources is deposited.
- Node Selection: Ciphernodes are selected via verifiable sortition (weighted by ticket balances) to form a Ciphernode Committee (CiCo). The committee performs distributed key generation (DKG) and publishes a shared public key.
- Input Window: Data Providers encrypt inputs to the CiCo's public key and submit them on-chain with ZKPs proving validity (correct encryption, valid format, non-reuse).
- Execution: A Compute Provider runs the Secure Process (FHE computation) over encrypted inputs and publishes the ciphertext output with a proof of correct execution. Supported backends include RISC Zero zkVM.
- Decryption: The CiCo collectively performs threshold decryption of the output and publishes the plaintext result. Rewards are distributed to committee members on completion.
Smart contract suite (EVM, deployed on Sepolia testnet):
- Interfold Contract: central coordinator managing E3 lifecycle, committee selection, and Merkle-tree input integrity
- E3 Program (E3P) Contract: defines computation logic, validates inputs, and verifies execution proofs
- Decryption Verifier: validates threshold decryption shares
- Bonding Registry: manages FOLD token license bonds, tFOLD ticket balances, registration, and exit queues
- Slashing Manager: processes slashing for misbehavior (attestation-based and evidence-based lanes with appeal windows)
- E3 Refund Manager: calculates and distributes refunds on E3 failure
Compute Providers support multiple trust models: verifiable (RISC Zero, with SP1 and Jolt planned) and oracle-based (zkTLS VMs, committee-based, game-theoretic, all coming soon).
- FHE: BFV scheme via
fhe.rsand the SAFE library for computation on encrypted data - Threshold cryptography: PVSS-based distributed key generation; decryption requires a threshold of ciphernodes
- ZKPs: Noir circuits for input validation (C0–C7 phases) and proof of correct execution
- Ephemeral keys: Single-use committee keys eliminate long-lived key material risks. Keys are treated as toxic waste after decryption
The Interfold targets three coordination categories:
- Competitive coordination: sealed-bid auctions, RFQ desks, and allocation mechanisms where bid strategy must remain hidden until the outcome is finalized. The operator gains no privileged visibility.
- Collective coordination: secret ballots, governance voting, and committee selection where private preferences must produce verifiable, coercion-resistant results without a trusted tallying authority.
- Data coordination: cross-institutional analysis (medical research, financial risk modeling, collaborative AI training) where sensitive datasets from multiple organizations contribute to a shared result without pooling or custodial transfer of raw data.
Concrete implementations: The CRISP (Coercion-Resistant Impartial Selection Protocol) is Interfold's flagship application. It is an Aragon plugin enabling secret ballot governance for DAOs with voter registry, key switching, and coercion resistance (building on MACI concepts but replacing the single trusted coordinator with distributed ciphernodes).
- Networks: Sepolia testnet and Ethereum mainnet, both deployed. Network Alpha is the live mainnet deployment
- Cryptography: Threshold BFV FHE, PV-TBFV key generation, Noir ZK circuits (C0–C7 phases), RISC Zero zkVM for verifiable compute
- SDK: Interfold SDK for Rust, with Noir circuit toolchain (
interfold noirCLI) - Tokenomics: FOLD (license bonding, governance), tFOLD (non-transferable ticket token for sortition), USDC for ticket purchases
- Ciphernode requirements: 100 FOLD license bond minimum, 1+ ticket (USDC-backed), 8+ cores / 32GB+ RAM / 500GB+ NVMe
- Timeout configuration (Sepolia): Committee formation 3,600s, DKG 7,200s, Compute 86,400s, Decryption 3,600s
- No single point of execution control: threshold cryptography separates key generation, computation, and decryption across independent ciphernodes
- Economic security: staking, slashing, and refund mechanisms incentivize honest behavior and penalize misbehavior
- Modular Compute Provider model: supports both verifiable (ZK) and oracle-based execution backends
- Ephemeral execution: single-use keys and bounded E3 sessions minimize attack surface
- Open-source: full protocol and toolchain publicly available, built by Gnosis Guild
- Coercion resistance: CRISP demonstrates practical coercion-resistant voting without a trusted coordinator
- Network Alpha runs with an initial operator set. Public ciphernode participation is not open yet
- Early committees support up to 19 ciphernodes at a threshold of 9. DKG runs on the order of hours, which bounds what is practical today
- Real-world throughput and long-term network decentralization remain to be proven at scale
- FHE compute cost and latency may limit applicability for time-sensitive or high-volume use cases
- For verifiable Compute Providers (RISC Zero), anyone can run the program over published inputs and generate a valid proof. The CP is an on-chain verifier contract with no single party that can refuse to publish or halt the E3. For oracle-based providers (planned), trust assumptions will differ