This study analyses the growing importance of cryptocurrencies in Baluchistan, Pakistan, using the Rabby Wallet and Dex Screener to identify suspicious transactions linked to the Baluchistan Youth Council (BYC) in 2023.Baluchistan, one of Pakistan's least digitally connected areas, has adopted Decentralized Finance (DeFi) techniques, likely due to financial exclusion, surveillance avoidance, and informal remittance networks.The mixed-methods study analyses secondary data, tracks blockchain transactions, and reviews policy.Digital finance has structural constraints due to broadband penetration differences (15% in Baluchistan vs. 58.4% overall).Local traders, activists, and remittance beneficiaries may selectively adopt Rabby Wallet, according to wallet-level examinations.Event-window examination of Dex Screener data shows anomalous trading volumes, especially in low-liquidity tokens, amid BYC rallies and political mobilizations.These inconsistencies undermine cryptocurrency's significance in socio-political movements and its absorption into Baluchistan's shadow financial environment.The paper interprets these data using financial repression, technological adoption, and conflict economics.It contends that crypto adoption in Baluchistan is low but strategic in political finance and informal cross-border trade.The paper suggests improving financial inclusion, regulating decentralized platforms, and training investigators.This study illuminates how digital finance affects political movements in fragile regions and the risks and potential of bitcoin adoption in Baluchistan.
Theoretical guarantees for double spending probabilities for the Nakamoto consensus under the $k$-deep confirmation rule have been extensively studied for zero/bounded network delays and fixed mining rates. In this paper, we introduce a ruin-theoretical model of double spending for Nakamoto consensus under the $k$-deep confirmation rule when the honest mining rate is allowed to be an arbitrary function of time including the block delivery periods, i.e., time periods during which mined blocks are being delivered to all other participants of the network. Time-varying mining rates are considered to capture the intrinsic characteristics of the peer to peer network delays as well as dynamic participation of miners such as the gap game and switching between different cryptocurrencies. Ruin theory is leveraged to obtain the double spend probabilities and numerical examples are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed analytical method.
Cui Zhang, Maoxin Ji, Qiong Wu, Pingyi Fan · 5 authors
In the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), Age of Information (AoI) has become a vital performance metric for evaluating the freshness of information in communication systems. Although many studies aim to minimize the average AoI of the system through optimized resource scheduling schemes, they often fail to adequately consider the queue characteristics. Moreover, the vehicle mobility leads to rapid changes in network topology and channel conditions, making it difficult to accurately reflect the unique characteristics of vehicles with the calculated AoI under ideal channel conditions. This paper examines the impact of Doppler shifts caused by vehicle speeds on data transmission in error-prone channels. Based on the M/M/1 and D/M/1 queuing theory models, we derive expressions for the Age of Information and optimize the system's average AoI by adjusting the data extraction rates of vehicles (which affect system utilization). We propose an online optimization algorithm that dynamically adjusts the vehicles' data extraction rates based on environmental changes to ensure optimal AoI. Simulation results have demonstrated that adjusting the data extraction rates of vehicles can significantly reduce the system's AoI. Additionally, in the network scenario of this work, the AoI of the D/M/1 system is lower than that of the M/M/1 system.
Birenjith Sasidharan, Emanuele Viterbo, Son Hoang Dau
In this paper, we design a family of $[n,k,d]$ block circulant codes that consist of many $[n_0 \ll n,k_0 \ll k,d_0]$ local codes and that satisfy three properties: (1) the code supports distributed erasure decoding, (2) $d$ can be scaled above $d_0$ by a given parameter, and (3) it is amenable to low complexity verification of code symbols using a cryptographic commitment scheme. These properties make the code ideal for use in protocols that address the data availability problem in blockchain networks. Moreover, the code outperforms the currently used 2D Reed-Solomon (RS) code with a larger relative minimum distance $(d/n)$, as desired in the protocol, for a given rate $(k/n)$ in the high-rate regime. The code is designed in two steps. First, we develop the topology, i.e., the structure of linear dependence relations among code symbols, and define it as the block circulant topology $T_{[μ,λ,ω]}(ρ)$. In this topology, there are $μ$ local codes, each constrained by $ρ$ parity checks. The set of symbols of a local code intersects with another in a uniform pattern, determined by two parameters, namely the overlap factor $λ$ and the overlap width $ω$. Next, we instantiate the topology, i.e., to specify the coefficients of linear dependence relations, to construct the block circulant codes ${\cal C}_{\text{BC}}[μ,λ,ω,ρ]$. Every local code is a $[λω+ρ,λω,ρ+1]$ generalized RS code. The block circulant code has $n=μ(ρ+ω)$, $k=μω$ and we show that $d=λρ+1$ under certain conditions. For $λ=2$, we prove that $d=2ρ+1$ always, and provide an efficient, parallelizable erasure-correcting decoder that fully recovers the codeword when there are $\leq 2ρ$ erasures. The decoder uses a novel decoding mechanism that iteratively recovers erasures from pairs of local codes.
Safety guarantees and security-latency problem of Nakamoto consensus have been extensively studied in the last decade with a bounded delay model. Recent studies have shown that PoW protocol is secure under random delay models as well. In this paper, we analyze the security-latency problem, i.e., how secure a block is, after it becomes k-deep in the blockchain, under general random delay distributions. We provide tight and explicit bounds which only require determining the distribution of the number of Poisson arrivals during the random delay. We further consider potential effects of recent Bitcoin halving on the security-latency problem by extending our results.
Blockchain is a decentralized network to increase trust, integrity, and transparency of transactions. With the exponential growth of transactions in the realm of Blockchain, especially in Bitcoin, Blockchain size increases as all transactions must be stored and verified. In Bitcoin, validating M of N transactions involves the necessity of M authentic signatures out of the total N transactions. This procedure is so time-consuming and needs a significant storage capacity. To address these issues, several multi signature schemes have been proposed, enabling users to interactively generate a common signature on a single message. Recently, some lattice based multi signature schemes have been presented to deal with the threats of quantum computers. However, none of them have met all desirable features of multi signature schemes like aggregate public key, low numbers of communication rounds, or resistant to quantum computers. Within this paper, we present a new multi signature scheme based on lattices, known as Razhims, that has aggregate public key, necessitates solely a single round of communication, and is resistant to quantum computers. In Razhims, the aggregate public key size and the final signature size are equal to the public key size and the final signature size of a standard signature respectively, and are independent of the number of signers.
We analyze how secure a block is after the block becomes $k$-deep, i.e., security-latency, for Nakamoto consensus under an exponential network delay model. We provide the fault tolerance and extensive bounds on safety violation probabilities given mining rate, delay rate and confirmation rules. Next, modeling the blockchain system as a batch service queue with exponential network delay, we connect the security-latency analysis to sustainable transaction rate of the queue system. As our model assumes exponential network delay, batch service queue models give a meaningful trade-off between transaction capacity, security and latency. Our results indicate that, by simply picking $k=7$-block confirmation rule in Bitcoin instead of the convention of $k=6$, mining rate, latency and throughput can be increased sixfold with the same safety guarantees. We further consider adversarial attacks on the queue service to hamper the service process. In an extreme scenario, we consider the selfish-mining attack for this purpose and provide the maximum adversarial block ratio in the longest chain under the exponential delay model. The ratio in turn reflects the maximum rate of decrease in the sustainable transaction rate of the queue.
Coded blockchains have acquired prominence as a promising solution to reduce storage costs and facilitate scalability. Within this class, Luby Transform (LT) coded blockchains are an appealing choice for scalability owing to the availability of a wide range of low-complexity decoders. In the first part of this work, we identify that traditional LT decoders like Belief Propagation and On-the-Fly Gaussian Elimination may not be optimal for heterogeneous networks with nodes that have varying computational and download capabilities. To address this, we introduce a family of hybrid decoders for LT codes and propose optimal operating regimes for them to recover the blockchain at the lowest decoding cost. While LT coded blockchain architecture has been studied from the aspects of storage savings and scalability, not much is known in terms of its security vulnerabilities. Pointing at this research gap, in the second part, we present novel denial-of-service threats on LT coded blockchains that target nodes with specific decoding capabilities, preventing them from joining the network. Our proposed threats are non-oblivious in nature, wherein adversaries gain access to the archived blocks, and choose to execute their attack on a subset of them based on underlying coding scheme. We show that our optimized threats can achieve the same level of damage as that of blind attacks, however, with limited amount of resources. Overall, this is the first work of its kind that opens up new questions on designing coded blockchains to jointly provide storage savings, scalability and also resilience to optimized threats.
Hanzaleh Akbari Nodehi, Viveck R. Cadambe, Mohammad Ali Maddah-Ali
Coding theory revolves around the incorporation of redundancy into transmitted symbols, computation tasks, and stored data to guard against adversarial manipulation. However, error correction in coding theory is contingent upon a strict trust assumption. In the context of computation and storage, it is required that honest nodes outnumber adversarial ones by a certain margin. However, in several emerging real-world cases, particularly, in decentralized blockchain-oriented applications, such assumptions are often unrealistic. Consequently, despite the important role of coding in addressing significant challenges within decentralized systems, its applications become constrained. Still, in decentralized platforms, a distinctive characteristic emerges, offering new avenues for secure coding beyond the constraints of conventional methods. In these scenarios, the adversary benefits when the legitimate decoder recovers the data, and preferably with a high estimation error. This incentive motivates them to act rationally, trying to maximize their gains. In this paper, we propose a game theoretic formulation for coding, called the game of coding, that captures this unique dynamic where each of the adversaries and the data collector (decoder) have respective utility functions to optimize. The utility functions reflect the fact that both the data collector and the adversary are interested in increasing the chance of data being recoverable by the data collector. Moreover, the utility functions express the interest of the data collector to estimate the input with lower estimation error, but the opposite interest of the adversary. As a first, still highly non-trivial step, we characterize the equilibrium of the game for the repetition code with a repetition factor of 2 for a wide class of utility functions with minimal assumptions.
Abstract Decentralized applications (DApps) built on blockchain platforms such as Ethereum and coded in languages such as Solidity, have recently gained attention for their potential to disrupt traditional centralized systems. Despite their rapid adoption, limited research has been conducted to understand the underlying code structure of these applications. In particular, each DApp is composed of multiple smart contracts, each containing a number of functions that can be called to trigger a specific event, e.g., a token transfer. In this paper, we reconstruct and analyse the network of contracts and functions calls within the DApp, which is helpful to unveil vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious attackers. We show how decentralization is architecturally implemented, identifying common development patterns and anomalies that could influence the system’s robustness and efficiency. We find a consistent network structure characterized by modular, self-sufficient contracts and a complex web of function interactions, indicating common coding practices across the blockchain community. Critically, a small number of key functions within each DApp play a central role in maintaining network connectivity, making them potential targets for cyber attacks and highlighting the need for robust security measures.
We propose a nonparametric and time-varying directed information graph (TV-DIG) framework to estimate the evolving causal structure in time series networks, thereby addressing the limitations of traditional econometric models in capturing high-dimensional, nonlinear, and time-varying interconnections among series. This framework employs an information-theoretic measure rooted in a generalized version of Granger-causality, which is applicable to both linear and nonlinear dynamics. Our framework offers advancements in measuring systemic risk and establishes meaningful connections with established econometric models, including vector autoregression and switching models. We evaluate the efficacy of our proposed model through simulation experiments and empirical analysis, reporting promising results in recovering simulated time-varying networks with nonlinear and multivariate structures. We apply this framework to identify and monitor the evolution of interconnectedness and systemic risk among major assets and industrial sectors within the financial network. We focus on cryptocurrencies' potential systemic risks to financial stability, including spillover effects on other sectors during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Federal Reserve's 2020 emergency response. Our findings reveals significant, previously underrecognized pre-2020 influences of cryptocurrencies on certain financial sectors, highlighting their potential systemic risks and offering a systematic approach in tracking evolving cross-sector interactions within financial networks.
Blockchain technology, within its fast widespread and superiority demonstrated by recent studies, can be also used as an informatic tool for solving various aviation problems. Aviation electronics (avionics) systems stand out as the application area of informatics methods in solving aviation problems or providing different capabilities to aircrafts. Avionics systems are electronic systems used in air and space vehicles for many purposes such as surveillance, navigation and communication. In this study, the applicability of blockchain technology as a new approach in the development of avionics systems is discussed, and in this regard, a method inspired by the previously implemented applications in electronic flight systems is proposed to help evaluate the applicability of this technology in new avionics system designs. The potential of blockchain for solving the problems especially in basic services, communication, navigation and flight management systems; the problem structures for which application of this technology would be a reliable solution; and the superiority and inferiority of its use in avionic systems are explained. A guiding paper is proposed for aviation engineers/experts to make a decision on applying blockchain into avionics systems.
Web 3.0, as the third generation of the World Wide Web, aims to solve contemporary problems of trust, centralization, and data ownership. Driven by the latest advances in cutting-edge technologies, Web 3.0 is moving towards a more open, decentralized, intelligent, and interconnected network. However, increasingly widespread data breaches have raised awareness of online privacy and security of personal data. Additionally, since Web 3.0 is a sophisticated and complex convergence, the technical details behind it are not as clear as the characteristics it presents. In this survey, we conduct an in-depth exploration of Web 3.0 from the perspectives of blockchain, artificial intelligence, and edge computing. Specifically, we begin with summarizing the evolution of the Internet and providing an overview of these three key technological factors. Afterward, we provide a thorough analysis of each technology separately, including its relevance to Web 3.0, key technology components, and practical applications. We also propose decentralized storage and computing solutions by exploring the integration of technologies. Finally, we highlight the key challenges alongside potential research directions. Through the combination and mutual complementation of multiple technologies, Web 3.0 is expected to return more control and ownership of data and digital assets back to users.
Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) has garnered significant attention in the cryptocurrency community. Such attention is a consequence of the revenue that can be generated from MEV, as well as the risks MEV poses to the fundamental value proposition of the underlying blockchain technology. In this work, we provide an information-theoretic formulation of MEV. With this formulation, we make common statements about MEV mathematically rigorous. For example, we show that i) all non-trivial blockchains and decentralised applications must generate MEV; ii) how MEV can be reduced at the expense of user expressibility; and iii) how MEV can be good or bad from an information theoretic standpoint.
This paper presents MindTheDApp, a toolchain designed specifically for the structural analysis of Ethereum-based Decentralized Applications (DApps), with a distinct focus on a complex network-driven approach. Unlike existing tools, our toolchain combines the power of ANTLR4 and Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) traversal techniques to transform the architecture and interactions within smart contracts into a specialized bipartite graph. This enables advanced network analytics to highlight operational efficiencies within the DApp's architecture. The bipartite graph generated by the proposed tool comprises two sets of nodes: one representing smart contracts, interfaces, and libraries, and the other including functions, events, and modifiers. Edges in the graph connect functions to smart contracts they interact with, offering a granular view of interdependencies and execution flow within the DApp. This network-centric approach allows researchers and practitioners to apply complex network theory in understanding the robustness, adaptability, and intricacies of decentralized systems. Our work contributes to the enhancement of security in smart contracts by allowing the visualisation of the network, and it provides a deep understanding of the architecture and operational logic within DApps. Given the growing importance of smart contracts in the blockchain ecosystem and the emerging application of complex network theory in technology, our toolchain offers a timely contribution to both academic research and practical applications in the field of blockchain technology.
In this paper, we apply the information theory to provide an approximate expression of the steady-state probability distribution for blockchain systems. We achieve this goal by maximizing an entropy function subject to specific constraints. These constraints are based on some prior information, including the average numbers of transactions in the block and the transaction pool, respectively. Furthermore, we use some numerical experiments to analyze how the key factors in this approximate expression depend on the crucial parameters of the blockchain system. As a result, this approximate expression has important theoretical significance in promoting practical applications of blockchain technology. At the same time, not only do the method and results given in this paper provide a new line in the study of blockchain queueing systems, but they also provide the theoretical basis and technical support for how to apply the information theory to the investigation of blockchain queueing networks and stochastic models more broadly.
In this paper, we present a measure of time irreversibility using trend pattern statistics. We define the irreversibility index as the Kullback-Leibler divergence between the distribution of uptrends subsequences (increasing trends) and the corresponding downtrends subsequences distribution (decreasing trends) in a time series. We use this index to analyze the degree of irreversibility in log return series over time, specifically focusing on five cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash. Our analysis reveals a strong indication of irreversibility in all these cryptocurrencies and the characteristic evolves over time. We additionally evaluate the market efficiency for these cryptocurrencies based on a recently proposed information-theoretic measure. By comparing inefficiency and irreversibility, we explore the relationship between these statistical features. This comparison provides insight into the non-trivial relationship between inefficiency and irreversibility.
As blockchains continue to seek to scale to a larger number of nodes, the communication complexity of protocols has become a significant priority as the network can quickly become overburdened. Several schemes have attempted to address this, one of which uses coded computation to lighten the load. Here we seek to address one issue with all such coded blockchain schemes known to the authors: transaction confirmation. In a coded blockchain, only the leader has access to the uncoded block, while the nodes receive encoded data that makes it effectively impossible for them to identify which transactions were included in the block. As a result, a Byzantine leader might choose not to notify a sender or receiver of a transaction that the transaction went into the block, and even with an honest leader, they would not be able to produce a proof of a transaction's inclusion. To address this, we have constructed a protocol to send the nodes enough information so that a client sending or receiving a transaction is guaranteed to not only be notified but also to receive a proof of that transaction's inclusion in the block. Crucially, we do this without substantially increasing the bit complexity of the original coded blockchain protocol.
Dayane Argentino Dias, Raquel Sangy da Costa Guimarães, 2023-04-05
The growth of the internet and its accessibility has brought about changes in communication, information, entertainment, and reading.This has led to the emergence of various forms of virtual, digital, or online literature, which has resulted in reflective-theoretical discussions on its definition and characteristics.It is also noted the growth of the studies that attempt to take care of the many different phenomena that recreate, modify, transpose, and disseminate the literature on screens.To validate or make exclusive things that can be found in cyberspace, the Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs), which are a type of digital certificates established through blockchain technology, defines or delimits the originality and exclusivity of digital assets.Blockchain is a book accounting that records virtual currency transactions and ensures transparency and decentralization.Thus, an NFT can be linked to any digital item such as images, videos, music, messages, or social media posts, making this item unique to the world and generating collectors and investors interested in directing money toward the acquisition of works and digital assets.From this, this research seeks to present discussions about what is literature in NFT with the objective, even if initially, of pointing out how it modifies or impacts certain notions and categories of printed literature, such as authorship, literary
Data availability (DA) attack is a well-known problem in certain blockchains where users accept an invalid block with unavailable portions. Previous works have used LDPC and 2-D Reed Solomon (2DRS) codes with Merkle trees to mitigate DA attacks. These codes perform well across various metrics such as DA detection probability and communication cost. However, these codes are difficult to apply to blockchains with large blocks due to large decoding complexity and coding fraud proof size (2D-RS codes), and intractable code guarantees for large code lengths (LDPC codes). In this paper, we focus on large block size applications and address the above challenges by proposing the novel Polar Coded Merkle Tree (PCMT): a Merkle tree encoded using the encoding graph of polar codes. We provide a specialized polar code design algorithm called Sampling Efficient Freezing and an algorithm to prune the polar encoding graph. We demonstrate that the PCMT built using the above techniques results in a better DA detection probability and communication cost compared to LDPC codes, has a lower coding fraud proof size compared to LDPC and 2D-RS codes, provides tractable code guarantees at large code lengths (similar to 2D-RS codes), and has comparable decoding complexity to 2D-RS and LDPC codes.
The research on the sixth-generation (6G) wireless communications for the development of future mobile communication networks has been officially launched around the world. 6G networks face multifarious challenges, such as resource-constrained mobile devices, difficult wireless resource management, high complexity of heterogeneous network architectures, explosive computing and storage requirements, privacy and security threats. To address these challenges, deploying blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) in 6G networks may realize new breakthroughs in advancing network performances in terms of security, privacy, efficiency, cost, and more. In this paper, we provide a detailed survey of existing works on the application of blockchain and AI to 6G wireless communications. More specifically, we start with a brief overview of blockchain and AI. Then, we mainly review the recent advances in the fusion of blockchain and AI, and highlight the inevitable trend of deploying both blockchain and AI in wireless communications. Furthermore, we extensively explore integrating blockchain and AI for wireless communication systems, involving secure services and Internet of Things (IoT) smart applications. Particularly, some of the most talked-about key services based on blockchain and AI are introduced, such as spectrum management, computation allocation, content caching, and security and privacy. Moreover, we also focus on some important IoT smart applications supported by blockchain and AI, covering smart healthcare, smart transportation, smart grid, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Moreover, we thoroughly discuss operating frequencies, visions, and requirements from the 6G perspective. We also analyze the open issues and research challenges for the joint deployment of blockchain and AI in 6G wireless communications. Lastly, based on lots of existing meaningful works, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive survey of blockchain and AI in 6G networks. We hope this survey can shed new light on the research of this newly emerging area and serve as a roadmap for future studies.
Before the advent of alternative blockchains such as Ethereum, the future of decentralization was all in the hands of Bitcoin. Together with Nakamoto itself, early developers were trying to leverage Bitcoin’s potential to decentralize traditionally centralized applications. However, because Bitcoin was a decentralized machine, the available non-trustless oracles were considered unsuitable. Therefore, strategies had to be elaborated to solve the so-called “oracle problem” in the newborn scenario. By interviewing early developers and crawling early forums and repositories, this paper aims to retrace and reconstruct the chain of events and contributions that gave birth to oracles on Bitcoin. The evolution of early protocols, along with the difficulties encountered in their development, are also outlined. Analyzing technical and social barriers to building oracles on Bitcoin, the transition to Ethereum will also be discussed.
Digital wallet as a software program or a digital device allows users to conduct various transactions. Hot and cold digital wallets are considered as two types of this wallet. Digital wallets need an online connection fall into the first group, whereas digital wallets can operate without internet connection belong to the second group. Prior to buying a digital wallet, it is important to define for what purpose it will be utilized. The ease with which a mobile phone transaction may be completed in a couple of seconds and the speed with which transactions are executed are reflection of efficiency. One of the most important elements of digital wallets is data organization. Digital wallets are significantly less expensive than classic methods of transaction, which entails various charges and fees. Constantly, demand for their usage is growing due to speed, security, and the ability to conduct transactions between two users without the need of a third party. As the popularity of digital currency wallets grows, the number of security concerns impacting them increases significantly. The current status of digital wallets on the market, as well as the options for an efficient solution for obtaining and utilizing digital wallets. Finally, the digital wallets' security and future improvement prospects are discussed in this chapter.
Emerging technologies, such as Blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT), have had an immense role in propelling the agricultural industry towards the fourth agricultural revolution. Blockchain and IoT can greatly improve the traceability, efficiency, and safety of food along the supply chain. Given these contributions, there are many barriers to widespread adoption of this technology, including a deficit in many workers' ability to understand and effectively use this technology in addition to a lack of infrastructure to educate and support these workers. This paper discusses the barriers to adoption of blockchain and IoT technology in the agricultural supply chain. The authors analyse the impact of Blockchain and IoT in the food supply chain and methods in which governments and corporations can become more adaptable. Through the reduction in imports and protection of demand for local farmers, developing economies can create local sustainable agricultural ecosystems. Furthermore, the use of both public and private Research and Development can greatly contribute to the global knowledge on new technologies and improve many aspects of the food supply chain. In conclusion, both governments and corporations have a big role to play in the increased implementation of progressive technologies and the overall improvement of the food supply chain along with it.