Peeranha

SEAL — Decentralized Secrets Management (DSM) is a Web3 privacy-first layer that enables onchain access control for sensitive data without relying on centralized backends. Built for the Move/Sui ecosystem, SEAL lets you encode dynamic access rules directly into smart contracts, while handling encryption, key management, and decryption approvals in a decentralized, auditable manner. Data privacy remains client-controlled and storage-agnostic (IPFS, Arweave, Walrus, etc.).

What SEAL does

• Provides onchain-defined access logic that gates who can decrypt data.
• Uses Identity-Based Encryption (IBE) to encrypt data to identities defined by access rules rather than specific wallets.
• Employs a threshold-based Key Server model to derive decryption keys, avoiding single points of failure.
• Performs decryption client-side, ensuring servers never see decrypted data.
• Works across storage backends without imposing storage constraints, focusing solely on who is allowed to view the content.
• Plans to expand with MPC and enclave-based setups for stronger guarantees.

How SEAL works (high level)

1. Onchain access rules (Move contracts on Sui): You write a seal_approve function that encodes your decryption conditions (e.g., time-locks, NFT ownership, DAO voting outcomes). The contract acts as the gatekeeper.
2. Identity-Based Encryption (IBE): Data is encrypted to an identity string (e.g., wallet address, a time-based rule, or a role like dao_voted:proposal_xyz). Decryption happens only if the onchain gatekeeper approves the identity.
3. Offchain Key Server (distributed): The Key Server holds the master secret key and issues derived keys only when onchain conditions are met. It can operate in a threshold mode (e.g., 3-of-5 servers) to remove central points of failure. Future MPC/TEE options are planned.
4. Client-side Decryption: Once a derived key is provided, decryption happens on the user’s device. This ensures data privacy even if storage layers are compromised.

Architecture (concise mental model)

• Onchain: seal_approve in Move contracts defines dynamic access logic.
• Offchain: Identity-Based Encryption with a distributed Key Server managing key derivation and approvals.
• Client: Decrypt data locally after receiving a derived key.
• Storage agnostic: SEAL does not control where data is stored; it only enforces access.

Use cases

• Gated content: Only NFT holders can access a premium tutorial.
• DAO-controlled data: Sensitive files decrypt only after a DAO vote.
• Time-locked metadata: Content decrypts after a specified date.
• Cross-chain privacy: Access logic travels with contracts, not centralized policies.

The Team

• Led by Samczsun, a known security figure in blockchain research and auditing, bringing credibility to SEAL’s privacy-focused approach.

How to get started

• Deploy a Move contract with seal_approve to enforce your access rules on Sui.
• Encrypt data to an identity that reflects your access policy.
• Run a threshold Key Server (or MPC/TEE in future) to derive decryption keys when seal_approve passes.
• Decrypt client-side to preserve privacy and control over data.

Safety and considerations

• Access logic is auditable and immutable once onchain.
• Client-side decryption ensures data privacy even if the storage layer is compromised.
• Threshold and future MPC/TEE plans reduce centralized trust and improve resilience.

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Feature highlights

• Onchain-defined access rules via Move contracts (seal_approve) for dynamic, auditable control
• Identity-Based Encryption (IBE) enabling encryption to identities rather than specific keys
• Threshold-based Key Server for decentralized, fault-tolerant key management (e.g., 3-of-5)
• Client-side decryption ensures data remains private and never exposed to servers
• Storage-agnostic design; SEAL focuses on access control, not data storage
• Planned support for MPC and enclave-based (TEE) architectures for stronger guarantees
• Designed for Web3 dApps, DAOs, and cross-chain privacy needs