The Shadow Protocol (GHOST-88B): A Stateless Forensic Framework for Technical Asset Valuation

This methodology specification defines the Shadow Protocol (GHOST-88B), a sovereign forensic framework designed for high-leverage technical due diligence in mid-market mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions. The protocol establishes a deterministic standard for quantifying technical risk liabilities, specifically "EBITDA Killers" within cloud-native and AI-integrated software assets. Utilizing Confidential Computing (AMD SEV) enclaves and a stateless reasoning engine, GHOST-88B enables the clinical interrogation of infrastructure-as-code (IaC) and proprietary repositories without data retention or persistent PII exposure. This briefing outlines the integration of the Knowledge Silo Index (Gini) for human capital risk and SHA-256 forensic verification. Related Research: This protocol serves as the architectural foundation for the Veridence Forensic Engine, as documented in SSRN ID: 6637158.