In the cloud storage applications, the cloud service provider (CSP) may delete or damage the user’s data. In order to avoid the responsibility, CSP will not actively inform the users after the data damage, which brings the loss to the user. Therefore, increasing research focuses on the public auditing technology recently. However, most of the current auditing schemes rely on the trusted third public auditor (TPA). Although the TPA brings the advantages of fairness and efficiency, it cannot get rid of the possibility of malicious auditors, because there is no fully trusted third party in the real world. As an emerging technology, blockchain technology can effectively solve the trust problem among multiple individuals, which is suitable to solve the security bottleneck in the TPA-based public auditing scheme. This paper proposed a public auditing scheme with the blockchain technology to resist the malicious auditors. In addition, through the experimental analysis, we demonstrate that our scheme is feasible and efficient.
With the prevalence of digital cryptocurrency and online transactions, the amount of data carried in cyberspace has been increasing rapidly. How to ensure the security and reliability of cyberspace data is a challenging problem. Blockchain has been widely recognized as a reliable technical solution for distributed data storage and sharing, and has attracted great attention from both industry and academia. This article first provides a brief introduction to the blockchain technology and distributed database systems, with a focus on the characteristics of decentralization and traceability. Then, it surveys the state-of-the-art work on blockchain-based distributed database systems, and compares these technologies. Afterwards, the application scenarios of blockchain-based distributed database systems are discussed. Finally, some promising research directions and suggestions focused on blockchain-based data storage are presented.
The shift towards cloud marketplaces and API-centric services is enabling enterprises to rapidly develop and deliver their IT solutions and services. Enterprises are increasingly adopting a multicloud approach to leverage the latest innovations and unique capabilities of different cloud providers. This is resulting in multicloud systems that utilize independent services, which in turn may be dependent on other services. Clients rely on Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to ensure a minimum quality of service. However, monitoring service quality becomes difficult in a multi-level and multi-provider system due to decentralized control and lack of visibility in the entire system hierarchy. SLA violations often go undetected as multicloud systems lack automated means to monitor SLAs and conduct root cause analysis of violations. We propose SLAM, an autonomous and trusted framework for continuous SLA monitoring in a multicloud ecosystem. It is based on blockchain and leverages smart contracts to detect SLA violations and determine their root cause across the hierarchical system structure.
The future of multi-blockchain architecture depends on the emergence of new protocols that achieve communication between trustless cross-chain participants. However, interoperability between blockchains remains an open problem. Existing approaches provide integration through solutions using a middleware system, which makes it harder to gain confidence mainly in terms of security and correctness of the process. A cross-chain protocol needs to provide a self-verifiable state-proof that embeds trust in the transfer process. We propose a Burn-to-Claim cross-chain protocol to seamlessly exchange assets between networks. Our scheme transfers assets from one blockchain system to another in a way that the asset is burned from the source blockchain and claimed on the destination blockchain. Our mechanism employs combinations of crypto mechanisms such as digital signatures and time lock to operate the protocol in a distributed manner. We provide an analysis which proves that our cross-chain protocol transfers assets correctly and securely.
Meikang Qiu, Han Qiu, Hui Zhao, Meiqin Liu · 5 authors
With the rapid development of cloud technology and the huge amount of big data generation, outsourcing data storage to a cloud service provider is an efficient solution. The challenges on the trustworthiness of cloud providers are urgent to be solved due to many security and privacy violation incidents in recent years. Some enhanced data protection methods such as All-Or-Nothing Transformation (AONT) are proposed to provide additional protection on data security. However, the key management and access revocation operations will become a difficult task and the key manager will be vulnerable. In this paper, we propose to use the scalable consortium blockchain system to solve the key management for the AON-based data protection and outsourcing in the multi-clouds scenario. We propose a model that can provide secure data sharing through untrusted clouds with the key management provided by the consortium blockchain system as a service. We also provide practical case studies for using the novel AON data approaches to protect data security and tamper-proofing on key management.
With the development of artificial intelligence and biotechnology, people are very interested in the application of blockchain technology for some fields, such as education. Advantages of blockchain technology including decentralization, non-tampering, anonymity, traceability, etc. which provide the possibility to improve the security of the management of teaching informatization in higher education. We try to explore the application of blockchain in education to improve the practice of the system of teaching informatization management in higher education. This will be reflected in three main aspects: 1) Distributed ledger Technology: it could help the teaching informatization management system to decentralize; 2) Asymmetric encryption algorithm: it could ensure user privacy in teaching informatization management system; 3) Smart Contract: it would improve the credibility of the teaching in-formatization management system. We thought that the security of informatization storage would be ensured, the credibility of data supervision would be enhanced, the cost of management would be reduced, and the efficiency of higher education management is improved substantially if we could use the blockchain technology in the system of teaching informatization management.
Ahstract- The traditional centralized database management mode brings security and privacy issues to user data. In this paper, we propose a verifiable distributed database access control (VDAC) scheme based on the ciphertext policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) and decentralized ledger technology (DLT). In the VDAC scheme, CP-ABE is used to achieve fine-grained access authorization control on user data, and DLT is employed to publish authorization parameters and guarantee their immutability. Particularly, the decentralized authorization mechanism for distributed database is realized by using Hyperledger fabric platform. Comparison analysis shows that the VDAC scheme not only provides verifiable database access control, but also protects user privacy and system security. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency and practicality of the VDAC scheme.
During the Coincheck incident, which recorded the largest damages in cryptocurrency history in 2018, it was demonstrated that using Mosaic token can have a certain effect. Although it seems attractive to employ tokens as countermeasures for cryptocurrency leakage, Mosaic is a specific token for the New Economy Movement (NEM) cryptocurrency and is not employed for other blockchain systems or cryptocurrencies. Moreover, although some volunteers tracked leaked NEM using Mosaic in the CoinCheck incident, it would be better to verify that the volunteers can be trusted. Simultaneously, if someone (e.g., who stole cryptocurrencies) can identify the volunteers, then that person or organization may be targets of them. In this paper, we propose an anonymous trust-marking scheme on blockchain systems that is universally applicable to any cryptocurrency. In our scheme, entities called token admitters are allowed to generate tokens adding trustworthiness or untrustworthiness to addresses. Anyone can anonymously verify whether these tokens were issued by a token admitter. Simultaneously, only the designated auditor and no one else, including nondesignated auditors, can identify the token admitters. Our scheme is based on accountable ring signatures and commitment, and is implemented on an elliptic curve called Curve25519, and we confirm that both cryptographic tools are efficient. Moreover, we also confirm that our scheme is applicable to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and NEM.
Smart Contracts (SC for short) are gaining momentum as a suitable technology for ensuring trusted execution of Business Processes (BP for short) in open environment. Nevertheless, the transactional semantics of SC which follow ACID transactions are not appropriate for BP characteristics. Indeed, it is admitted that ACID transactions are limited to cope with complex control structure and long running execution of BP. Transactional Business Processes (TBP for short) have emerged as an extension to ACID models to overcome these limits. A TBP ensures transactional reliability of advanced transactions having a control structure as complex as for BP. In this paper, we propose an approach that builds on SC and extends them to implement TBP. We extend Caterpillar, an existing BP execution engine developed on top of Ethereum, to implement our approach and support the execution of TBP.
The development of the Internet has increased the amount of data exponentially, and the reliable transmission, sharing, and storage of data have become the primary problems of data sharing. This article combines the decentralized and irreversible characteristics of the Ethereum blockchain, integrates IPFS distributed storage technology, and proposes a data sharing platform under a new technology environment to ensure data security, user rights protection, and high-speed data processing. Provide a new technology application environment for current data sharing.
Blockchain technology is increasingly being considered among both private enterprises and public services. However, it poses a challenge with regard to aligning its identity management scheme with the Public Key Infrastructure and the Qualified Digital Certificates issued by Qualified Trust Service Providers. To solve this challenge, we will present a solution in the form of an architecture reference model, which enables enterprises and public services to leverage blockchain technology by integrating Qualified Electronic Signatures with blockchain transactions. The evaluation of the architecture reference model is provided through the design of a Blockchain-based Trusted Public Service and a use-case scenario example. The proposed architecture reference model is based on the CEF building blocks EBSI, eSignature, and eID compliant with eIDAS.
U ovom diplomskom radu je opisan problem korištenja podataka iz vanjskih izvora u kontekstu raspodijeljene glavne knjige koji je poznat u literaturi pod nazivom "oracle problem". Istražena su i opisana postojeća rješenja tog problema te je pojašnjen pojam decentraliziranog oracle sustava. Navedeni su tipovi takvih sustava te je objašnjeno kako oni osiguravaju integritet podataka u blok-lancu eliminirajući jedinstvenu točku ispada. Istražene su postojeće implementacije i funkcionalnosti decentraliziranih rješenja za unos podataka iz nepovjerljivih vanjskih izvora. Razvijeno je programsko rješenje za studijski slučaj koji omogućuje primjenu blok-lanca uz korištenje podataka iz vanjskih izvora gdje se koristi rješenje Chainlink s pametnim ugovorima Ethereuma.
Shee-Ihn Kim, Seung‐Hee Kim, Seung‐Hee Kim, Seung‐Hee Kim
Abstract The current e-commerce payment systems for credit or check cards require a payment gateway (PG). This incurs PG fees, which in turn increases the cost of engaging in e-commerce. This paper proposes a simple payment model that uses basic cryptocurrency features, such as public key, private key, and digital signature, to eliminate the need for transaction intermediaries such as public key certificate and PG. This model can process e-commerce payments without registering additional public key certificate, public key, or private key. The use of a digital signature guarantees the integrity and nonrepudiation of electronic payments, besides eliminating the fees for intermediary services such as PG, thereby reducing the overall cost of operating e-commerce services. This proposal is crucial as it is the first attempt to apply blockchain technology to e-commerce payment services. In addition, our model is important because it not only supports the evolution of e-commerce payment technology but also enhances the competitive advantage of using e-commerce.
William Pourmajidi, Lei Zhang, John Steinbacher, Tony Erwin · 5 authors
Service Level Agreements (SLA) are employed to ensure the performance of Cloud solutions. When a component fails, the importance of logs increases significantly. All departments may turn to logs to determine the cause of the issue and find the party at fault. The party at fault may be motivated to tamper with the logs to hide their role. We argue that the critical nature of Cloud logs calls for immutability and verification mechanism without the presence of a single trusted party. This article proposes such a mechanism by describing a blockchain-based log storage system, called Logchain, which can be integrated with existing private and public blockchain solutions. Logchain uses the immutability feature of blockchain to provide a tamper-resistance platform for log storage. Additionally, we propose a hierarchical structure to address blockchains’ scalability issues. To validate the mechanism, we integrate Logchain into Ethereum and IBM Blockchain. We show that the solution is scalable and perform the analysis of the cost of ownership to help a reader select an implementation that would address their needs. The Logchain's scalability improvement on a blockchain is achieved without any alteration of blockchains’ fundamental architecture. As shown in this work, it can function on private and public blockchains and, therefore, can be a suitable alternative for organizations that need a secure, immutable log storage platform.
Shams Tabrez Siddiqui, Mohammed Shuaib, Ashok Kumar Gupta, Shadab Alam
The research paper is about the dangers to information security and a solution to it by the use of the blockchain implementation in the data security. Blockchain security implementations were mostly witnessed in sensitive information systems, like the financial database. Furthermore, in this research paper, Threats to computers and information systems are highlighted and analyzed and the solution to them well elaborated. The cloud computing raised many security concerns, that had to be addressed and solutions found in curbing the information insecurity. The paper was majorly based on the step by step solution to the threat to the information system by blockchain technology.
João Henrique Faes Battisti, Maurício A. Pillon, Guilherme Koslovski, Charles C. Miers
A considerable number of electronic transaction systems employ classicapproaches based on centralized trust mechanisms, not exploitingthe latest technological advances. Alternatively, the concept ofblockchain stands out, elaborated without the need for this centralizedtrust, but rather dependent on securely chained technologies in whichthe elements involved can conduct secure negotiations. Blockchain isdesigned to address security and distributed system issues through theuse of encryption, algorithms, P2P networks, and consensus mechanisms.This paper presents a Denial of Service (DoS) security analysisof the more traditional Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT)and Proof of Work (PoW) consensus mechanisms available onMultichain and Ethereum solutions based on a private / consortiumblockchain scenario. We present our results of a controlled DoSattack, revealing the importance and need for security-relatedanalysis of blockchain implementations of private / consortiumblockchains.
The state-of-the-art centralized Internet of Things (IoT) data flow pipeline has started aging since it cannot cope with the vast number of newly connected IoT devices. As a result, the community begins the transition to a decentralized pipeline to encourage data and resource sharing. However, the move is not trivial. With many instances allocating data or service arbitrarily, how can we guarantee the correctness of IoT data or processes that other parties offer. Furthermore, in case of dispute, how can the IoT data assist in determining which party is guilty of faulty behavior. Finally, the number of Service Level Agreement (SLA) increases as the number of sharing grows. The problem then becomes how we can provide a natural SLA generation and verification that we can automate instead of going through a manual and tedious legalization process through a trusted third party. In this paper, we explore blockchain solutions to answer those issues and propose continued data integrity services for IoT big data management. Specifically, we design five integrity protocols across three phases of IoT operations—during the transmission of IoT data (data in transit), when we physically store the data in the database (data at rest), and at the time of data processing (data in process). In each phase, we first lay out our motivations and survey the related blockchain solutions from the literature. We then use curated papers from our surveys as building blocks in designing the protocol. Using our proposal, we augment the overall value of IoT data and commands, generated in the IoT system, as they are now tamper-proof, verifiable, non-repudiable, and more robust.