BITE encryption for SKALE
Kobaru supports BITE (Blockchain Integrated Threshold Encryption) and encrypts your payment transactions before they reach the network, protecting them from front-running and censorship.
What is BITE encryption?#
When a customer pays for your API, the payment transaction travels through a public network before it is confirmed. During that brief window, the transaction is visible to anyone watching. BITE encryption closes that window.With BITE enabled, your payment transactions are encrypted before they enter the SKALE mempool. The encrypted data stays fully private until after execution — a majority of the SKALE chain validators must cooperate to perform threshold decryption post-finality. No one can read, reorder, or drop your transactions based on their content.BITE v1 requires no changes to existing smart contracts. It works on all Solidity transactions.| Without BITE | With BITE |
|---|
| Transaction content is visible in the mempool | Transaction content is encrypted until after execution |
| Observers can front-run or sandwich your transactions | No one can see transaction details to exploit them |
| Validators can selectively censor transactions | Validators process transactions without seeing content |
In practical terms, BITE adds a privacy layer to your SKALE payment settlement. The Kobaru gateway handles the encryption automatically. You do not need to change your API code or SDK integration.
Who should use this?#
BITE encryption is available exclusively for SKALE network capabilities. If your API accepts payments on a SKALE chain, you can enable it.You should consider enabling BITE if:You process high-value API transactions where front-running could matter
You want the strongest privacy guarantees for your payment settlements
You operate in a regulated environment where transaction privacy is a requirement
You want to protect your customers from MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) attacks
Note: BITE is only available for SKALE capabilities. The toggle will not appear for Solana, Base, or other networks.
Trade-offs#
BITE encryption improves privacy, but it is not free of trade-offs. Review these before enabling it.| Aspect | Detail |
|---|
| Fail-safe behavior | If the encryption service is unavailable, the gateway rejects the transaction rather than sending it unencrypted. This protects privacy but means payments temporarily fail. |
| Latency | Adds a small amount of latency (typically milliseconds) for the encryption step. |
Tip: Most merchants do not need BITE encryption. If your API handles typical micropayments where MEV is not a realistic concern, leave it off for maximum throughput. Enable it only when you have a specific reason — high-value transactions, regulatory requirements, or sensitive payment patterns you want to keep private.
How to enable BITE encryption#
You enable BITE per capability in the Kobaru Console. This takes about 30 seconds.Step 1: Open your capabilities#
Step 2: Find your SKALE capability#
Locate the SKALE capability you want to protect (for example, SKALE on Base or SKALE on Base Sepolia).Step 3: Edit the capability#
Click the pencil icon next to the capability to open the edit dialog.Step 4: Enable BITE encryption#
Scroll to the Privacy & Security section. Toggle Enable BITE Encryption to ON.Step 5: Save your changes#
Click Save Changes to apply. A green shield icon appears next to the network slug, confirming that BITE is active.Note: The change takes effect immediately for new transactions. In-flight transactions that were already submitted continue without encryption.
How to verify encrypted transactions#
After enabling BITE, you can confirm it is working by inspecting transactions on the SKALE block explorer.What to look for#
2.
Find a recent payment transaction from your capability. You can use the transaction hash from your Kobaru dashboard or logs.
3.
Look at the To address on the transaction. With BITE enabled, the destination is the BITE magic address (0x42495445204D452049274d20454e435259505444), not the final recipient address.
4.
Look at the Input Data field. With BITE enabled, both the to and data fields are encrypted — the input appears as an opaque blob rather than readable contract call parameters.
| Field | Without BITE | With BITE |
|---|
| To | Recipient contract address | BITE magic address (0x...5444) |
| Input Data | Readable method call and parameters | Encrypted data blob |
| Final result | Tokens transferred to recipient | Tokens transferred to recipient (same outcome) |
The final outcome is identical. Your payments settle to the correct address with the correct amount. The only difference is that the transaction content was hidden until after execution.Tip: If you see the BITE magic address (0x...5444) in the To field and encrypted data in Input Data, BITE is working correctly.
Modified at 2026-02-26 16:55:14
