Blockchain Papers

Rashmi Shukla, Anuja Agarwal, Shekhar Shukla

No abstract is available for this record.

Qian-yi Dai, Kaiyong Xu, Leyu Dai, Song Guo

No abstract is available for this record.

Shams Tabrez Siddiqui, Riaz Ahmad, Mohammed Shuaib, Shadab Alam

No abstract is available for this record.

Siwapol Jumnongsaksub

With smart contracts, a wide range of applications can be implemented on blockchains. Ethereum stores smart contract byte code with the smart contract ad-dress so, the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) can read and execute transactions correctly. All executed transactions (both successful and failed transactions) are stored on the platform permanently. Failed transactions are thrown by the EVM due to runtime errors and result in monetary waste. The waste from these transactions add up to around 2 million Ethers or $634.2 million. In this thesis, we propose Evitar, a warning algorithm for reducing Ethereum smart contract runtime errors, which has two mechanisms. First, Evitar proposes that users send transactions with the maximum gas allowed to avoid Out of Gas errors. However, this results in an extremely high transaction fee when transactions fail. Second, Evitar analyzes transactions called to each method in smart contracts and marks a method as a method with a high failure rate if the number of failed transactions reaches Evitar’s threshold. This mechanism prevents users from sending and paying for transactions that are likely to fail. We run experiments to evaluate the performance of Evitar by replaying transactions in a private network. The results show that Evitar can reduce failed transactions up to 99.52% compared to sending under default behaviour in exchange for a reduction in successful transactions by 1.78%. The amount of gas used by Evitar is only one-tenth compared to sending under default behaviour. Sending transactions with the maximum gas in Evitar reduces Out of Gas errors by 99.25%. In addition, Evitar can save up to 15.04 GB (82.32%) of storage in the Geth default node and 50.09 GB (50.09%) in the Parity full archive node.

Fatima Tariq, M Umair Anwar, Abdul Rehman Janjua, Muhammad Haseeb Khan · 6 authors

No abstract is available for this record.

Showkat Ahmad Bhat, Ishfaq Bashir Sofi, Chong‐Yung Chi

The internet is progressing towards a new technology archetype grounded on smart systems, heavily relying on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), blockchain platforms, edge computing, and the internet of things (IoT). The merging of IoT, edge computing, and blockchain will be the most important factor of empowering new automatic service and commercial models with various desirable properties, such as self-verifying, self-executing, immutability, data reliability, and confidentiality provided by the advancement in blockchain smart contracts and containers. Motivated by the potential paradigm shift and the security features brought by blockchain from the traditional centralized model to a more robust and resilient decentralized model, this tutorial article proposes a multi-tier integrated blockchain and edge computing architecture for 5G and beyond for solving some security issues faced by resource-constrained edge devices. We begin with a comprehensive overview of different edge computing paradigms and their research challenges. Next, we present the classification of security threats and current defense mechanisms. Then, we present an overview of blockchain and its potential solutions to the main security issues in edge computing. Furthermore, we present the classification of facilitating developers of different architectures to select an appropriate platform for particular applications and offer insights for potential research directions. Finally, we provide key convergence features of the blockchain and edge computing, followed by some conclusions.

Nikolaos Papadis, Leandros Tassiulas

Blockchain technology has been developed with the vision to enable trusted collaboration between untrusted parties, without the need for a central authority. Despite its many promising applications, the technology suffers from a scalability problem. In order to increase transaction throughput and decrease transaction confirmation latency, payment channel networks have been proposed. Payment channel networks introduce a layer on top of the main chain, in which transactions can happen in a safe manner between only the transacting parties without burdening the entire network. In this article, we present and highlight the many interesting research aspects this new type of network introduces. We first provide background on the mechanics of the operation of payment channel networks, and then proceed to present a plethora of research problems of networking and/or economics flavor arising in this context, including routing, scheduling, rebalancing, network design and topology analysis, and fee optimization. This work is within the scope of both the networking and network economics communities.

Cedric G. Sanders, Thomas Liebig

No abstract is available for this record.

H. S. Jennath, S. Asharaf

No abstract is available for this record.

Nikita Singh, Manu Vardhan

Distributed ledger technology is the driving force behind the blockchain technology and is proving its usefulness in various types of transaction processing systems. Fast, secure, reliable and efficient transactions are the key features of the blockchain based applications. A suitable or optimal size of block used by an application is dependent on the number of transactions in each block. Block size optimization is an important issue for any blockchain based application as it directly affects the performance of the application as scalability bottlenecks could prevent higher throughput and cause congestion. A larger block size will require higher transmission time compared to the smaller block size. A smaller block is more efficient but building too small a block will require higher block composition time to clear all the transactions. Both performance factors are contradictory to each other. An efficient blockchain network requires a suitable block size that demands lesser transmission time and block composition time. This paper proposes meta-heuristic algorithm based techniques for finding the suitable block size. It uses meta-heuristic algorithms to find the optimal number of transaction in each block. These algorithms are multi-objective particle swarm optimization and strength Pareto evolutionary algorithm. Experimental results reveal that the suitable block size is 213 transactions per block. Since size of a transaction is taken as 1.2 Kb, hence the results show that an optimal block size is of 255 Kbytes when network bandwidth of miners varies from 250 kbps to 1200 kbps. This shall achieve lower block transmission time and block composition time.

Heena Rathore, Amr Mohamed, Mohsen Guizani

No abstract is available for this record.

Olivia Fachrunnisa, Farookh Hussain

Skills gap between company needs and competencies occupied by the workforce can be the source of inefficiencies. The purpose of this research is to develop a blockchain-based human resource (HR) framework to match the needs from the company and workforce competencies This framework will help Corporate Training Centre to standardized the competencies which then used by HR Department to develop the training material. In order to get valid information regarding skills that are needed from the company, we develop a prototype based on Blockchain. Hence, blockchain-based HRM is built to improve the quality of workforce competency in an organization. The current organizations are struggling to fulfil the needs of the workforce in accordance with industry quality standards. Therefore, this will help all parties to create a consensus between the needs of the industry with the labour market. Corporate Training Centre through the competent institution will be the mediator or intermediary to unite the information from companies, training institutions, and Professional Certification Institutions. As a result, in the long term, the needs of the workforce with the qualification required by the company in such industries will always fit the current situation. Blockchain helps to process the information and data needed by each party so that the connection between parties will be assisted efficiently and effectively.

Joseph Migga Kizza

No abstract is available for this record.

Sreemana Datta, Ayan Kumar Das, Abhijeet Kumar, Khushboo · 5 authors

No abstract is available for this record.

Chinazaekpere Emmanuel Ngubo, Mischa Döhler

Consensus mechanisms are at the core of any Distributed Ledger Technology. They define how transactions are validated and verified, how the network resolves conflicts and protects against malicious intent, and how multiple devices on a distributed network with no central authority arrive at the same global view of the ledger. Experience with the consensus mechanisms employed in popular blockchain platforms have warranted years of research into more scalable and energy-efficient consensus mechanisms for a green society using constrained devices. Most of the “high-security” consensus mechanisms require the use of computational resources which are simply not available to devices with a constrained nature. Hence, the presence and activity of these devices do not contribute to the security of the ledger, irrespective of how numerous they are on the network. In this paper, we propose a novel consensus scheme, fully dependent on WiFi technology, suitable for constrained devices. Whilst in traditional Blockchain consensus mechanisms, constrained devices do not add to the security of the ledger, the security of our consensus mechanism increases with the number of connected devices.

Mohammad Tahir, Mohamed Hadi Habaebi, Mohammad Dabbagh, Amna Mughees · 6 authors

Until now, every evolution of communication standard was driven by the need for providing high-speed connectivity to the end-user. However, 5G marks a radical shift from this focus as 5G and beyond networks are being designed to be future-proof by catering to diverse requirements of several use cases. These requirements include Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications, Massive Machine-Type Communications and Enhanced Mobile Broadband. To realize such features in 5G and beyond, there is a need to rethink how current cellular networks are deployed because designing new radio access technologies and utilizing the new spectrum are not enough. Several technologies, such as software-defined networking, network function virtualization, machine learning and cloud computing, are being integrated into the 5G networks to fulfil the need for diverse requirements. These technologies, however, give rise to several challenges associated with decentralization, transparency, interoperability, privacy and security. To address these issues, Blockchain has emerged as a potential solution due to its capabilities such as transparency, data encryption, auditability, immutability and distributed architecture. In this paper, we review the state-of-art application of Blockchain in 5G network and explore how it can facilitate enabling technologies of 5G and beyond to enable various services at the front-haul, edge and the core. Based on the review, we present a taxonomy of Blockchain application in 5G networks and discuss several issues that can be solved using Blockchain integration. We then present various field-trials and Proof of concept that are using Blockchain to address the challenges faced in the current 5G deployment. Finally, we discuss various challenges that need to be addressed to realize the full potential of Blockchain in beyond 5G networks. The survey presents a broad range of ideas related to Blockchain integration in 5G and beyond networks that address issues such as interoperability, security, mobility, resource allocation, resource sharing and management, energy efficiency and other desirable features.

Tzu-Yu Yeh, Rasha Kashef

A blockchain is a digitized, decentralized, public ledger of all cryptocurrency transactions. The blockchain is transforming industries by enabling innovative business practices. Its revolutionary power has permeated areas such as bank-ing, financing, trading, manufacturing, supply chain management, healthcare, and government. Blockchain and the Internet of Things (BIOT) apply the us-age of blockchain in the inter-IOT communication system, therefore, security and privacy factors are achievable. The integration of blockchain technology and IoT creates modern decentralized systems. The BIOT models can be ap-plied by various industries including e-commerce to promote decentralization, scalability, and security. This research calls for innovative and advanced re-search on Blockchain and recommendation systems. We aim at building a se-cure and trust-based system using the advantages of blockchain-supported secure multiparty computation by adding smart contracts with the main blockchain protocol. Combining the recommendation systems and blockchain technology allows online activities to be more secure and private. A system is constructed for enterprises to collaboratively create a secure database and host a steadily updated model using smart contract systems. Learning case studies include a model to recommend movies to users. The accuracy of models is evaluated by an incentive mechanism that offers a fully trust-based recom-mendation system with acceptable performance.

Alexei Zamyatin, Zeta Avarikioti, Daniel Pérez, William J. Knottenbelt

No abstract is available for this record.

Mazin Debe, Khaled Salah, Muhammad Habib ur Rehman, Davor Svetinović

Fog computing systems are designed to provide localized computation, storage, and communication services in close proximity to the endpoint mobile and IoT devices. Fog service providers typically monetize their service usage via centralized payment mechanisms in unverifiable and non-transparent manner. Therefore, there exists a need for a trust-enabling payment mechanism whereby fog service providers should be incentivized or penalized based upon the continuous feedback from endpoint devices. We propose a decentralized reverse-bidding scheme developed using the key features of blockchain and smart contracts. We develop a solution that allows the users or devices to initiate the bidding process by making a request for services to be provided by nearby public fog nodes, and these fog nodes to make bid offers in return. The proposed scheme ensures that all fog nodes on the network can equally and fairly make offers to win the bid. The bidding process incorporates the automated payments at the end of the service. Our solution is implemented using Ethereum smart contracts. It also integrates a reputation system for fog nodes and imposes a penalty for misbehaving nodes. Our solution is fully decentralized and provides a high level of trust, transparency, and security. In the paper, we present the system architecture, implementation details, and show the correct functionality of the overall proposed solution. In addition, we provide performance, cost, and security analyses of the smart contract code to demonstrate its effectiveness and robustness against major security concerns. The results show that the cost of running the smart contract remained less than three cents with the current Ethereum price (i.e., 183.22 USD/Eth). We have also made our smart contract code publicly available on Github.

Sarthak Gupta, Virain Malhotra, Shailendra Narayan Singh

No abstract is available for this record.

Raluca Maria Aileni, George Suciu

No abstract is available for this record.

Ahed Abugabah, Nishara Nizamuddin, Ahmad Ali AlZubi

The healthcare sector is one of the most rapidly growing sectors globally. With the ever-growing technology, patient care, regulatory compliance, and digital transformation, there is an increased need for healthcare sectors to collaborate with all stakeholders - both within the healthcare ecosystem and in concurring industries. In recent times, telemedicine has proven to provide high quality, affordable, and predominantly adapted healthcare services. However, telemedicine suffers from several risks in implementation, such as data breach, restricted access across medical fraternity, incorrect diagnosis and prescription, fraud, and abuse. In this work, introduce blockchain-based framework that would unlock the future of the healthcare sector and improved services. Our proposed solution utilizing Ethereum smart contracts to develop a transparent, tamper-proof telemedicine healthcare framework, and ensure the integrity of sensitive patient data eliminating a central administrator. Moreover, the smart contract regulates the interaction between all the parties involved in the network and keeps the patient meticulously informed about the transactions in the network.

Amritraj Singh, Reza M. Parizi, Meng Han, Ali Dehghantanha · 6 authors

No abstract is available for this record.

Gauhar Ali, Naveed Ahmad, Yue Cao, Shahzad Khan · 7 authors

The innovation of ubiquitous and pervasive computing helps service-oriented organizations in the realization of a virtual coalition. The virtual coalition is a set of IoT domains i.e., smart homes and smart hospitals that are linked together through communication lines to share resources. Such virtual coalitions need secure cross-domain permission delegation and access control mechanisms. In existing approaches, permission delegation and access control are performed at the resource owner domain or by a single trusted third party. This single trusted third party may fail to work or compromise. Therefore, it will collapse either the whole system or the security of the system. We propose xDBAuth, a decentralized Blockchain (BC) based permission delegation and access control framework for the Internet of Things (IoT). Also, we proposed a hierarchy of local and global smart contracts that perform permission delegation and access control for both internal and external user/IoT devices. Additionally, the proposed framework preserves an external user’s privacy by allowing them to get authentication in their parent IoT domains. During authentication, Proof-of-Authenticity/Integrity (PoAI) mechanism is used to find and retrieve user/IoT device platform hashes stored on local BC. After successful authentication, BC authorizes the user/IoT device based on the validation of delegation policies stored on BC. We implemented the proposed framework using Node.js. The results show that the proposed xDBAuth is a lightweight framework with less computational overhead. xDBAuth produces high throughput in an environment having a large number of concurrent requests.