Software attacks

Bugs in enclave firmware or runtime environments can open the door to powerful attacks, even without touching the hardware.

Foreshadow (CVE-2018-3615)

Exploited speculative execution in Intel SGX to leak enclave memory, despite no software bugs in the enclave code itself.

Mitigation: Microcode updates can patch these vulnerabilities, while remote attestation allows systems to reject outdated or vulnerable TEEs.

SGAxe

Built on Foreshadow and extracted SGX attestation keys, undermining the enclave’s core trust guarantees.

Mitigation: Platforms must support key revocation and implement cryptoeconomic fallback mechanisms (like Multi-Prover Systems) to reduce reliance on any single enclave.