PNT Tokens

 In the initial stages of development, pTokens relied on a single validating node for support. However, after the successful launch of the pTokens mainnet, the team behind pNetwork is confident in the robustness of their solution and its potential within the DeFi industry.

During this initial phase, the pTokens system utilized Trusted Execution Environments (TEE) to ensure transparency regarding the validating network's status. The secure enclaves housing the pTokens bridges guaranteed the integrity of the node at all times, enabling secure and fully auditable execution of minting and redeeming processes.

Moving forward, the pNetwork team plans to enhance this system by introducing a security-oriented decentralized approach. They aim to upgrade the system and implement a new governance model based on progressive decentralization.

The pTokens system will undergo a series of upgrades, starting with the launch of a network of validators called the pNetwork. Initially, this network will be permissioned, but it will transition into a permissionless network over time. The pNetwork will operate as an open, public, and independent network with an embedded governance system.

Validators within the pNetwork will be node operators with special signing capabilities. They play a crucial role in validating the secure and decentralized transfer of assets between blockchains (peg-in and peg-out). Validators will collaborate and independently verify the conditions of external blockchains before facilitating cross-chain asset movements.

The first upgrade will introduce a set of known parties as validators on the network, reducing the control of the development team. Subsequent upgrades will aim to achieve full decentralization, transforming the pTokens system into an open network accessible to anyone. The network will utilize a Multi-Party Computation (MPC) algorithm for consensus, computations, and peg-in/peg-out procedures.

MPC enables a scalable number of parties to collectively run computations, facilitating distributed signing of operations among network validators through a threshold signature scheme. The cryptographic algorithm employed by MPC ensures certain security properties even if some parties collude and attempt to attack the protocol.

To further enhance security, the upgraded system incorporates Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) as an additional protection measure. TEEs create secure sandboxes that safeguard the code and data loaded inside, ensuring their confidentiality and protection. Multiple TEE techniques are employed for generating and managing the key pairs used by pTokens bridges, enhancing the overall security of the system, including making sybil attacks more expensive by utilizing different isolation techniques to enforce the execution of agreed-upon code within the network.