Today, hackers are capable of disrupting entire networks, tampering with data, or luring careless users into security traps. They steal and misuse identity information, and by attacking centralized databases and exploiting single points of failure, they trigger various other security threats. However, the data storage and sharing model in blockchain technology is fundamentally different from current approaches to information security. Both Bitcoin and Ethereum use the same cryptographic technologies to ensure secure transactions, and blockchain has now become a tool for defending against security attacks and threats. The main advantages of blockchain in information security include:
CertCoin, developed by MIT, may be the first blockchain-based Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) application. PKI is a common form of public-key cryptography used to protect emails, messaging apps, websites, and other forms of communication. However, because most PKI systems rely on centralized trusted third-party Certificate Authorities (CAs) to issue, revoke, and manage key pairs for each participant, hackers can impersonate users to infiltrate encrypted communications. CertCoin eliminates the centralized authority, using blockchain as a distributed ledger to distribute public keys, thereby significantly reducing the risk of single-point intrusion.
There are also examples in the field of certification, such as the government-certified Factom system. It builds a chain-structured storage system based on blockchain, decomposing certification into three parts: proof of existence, procedural proof, and auditability. This three-step process ensures data security and regulatory compliance in the handling of any digital asset certification.
As IT shifts its focus toward data and connectivity with “smart” edge devices, security must also adapt. While expanding the network can improve IT efficiency, productivity, and reduce power consumption, it also presents new security challenges for CISOs, CIOs, and entire organizations. Many companies are exploring the use of blockchain to secure IoT and Industrial IoT (IIoT) devices—because blockchain technology can enhance identity verification, improve data traceability and fluidity, and assist in record management.
Although blockchain was originally designed without specific access control mechanisms (due to its public distribution nature), some blockchain implementations are now addressing issues of confidentiality and access control. In an era where data can be easily tampered with or forged, ensuring confidentiality and integrity is undoubtedly a major challenge. However, the fully encrypted nature of blockchain data ensures that it cannot be accessed by unauthorized parties, while still retaining fluidity (making man-in-the-middle attacks nearly impossible).
This data integrity also extends to IoT and IIoT. For example, IBM offers the option to manage IoT data with a private blockchain ledger on its Watson IoT platform, a feature already integrated into IBM Cloud services. Ericsson’s Blockchain Data Integrity service provides app developers working on General Electric’s Predix PaaS platform with fully auditable, compliant, and trusted data.
LORA is using blockchain to protect private information circulating in real-time messaging tools and social media. Unlike end-to-end encryption used in apps like WhatsApp and iMessage, LORA protects user metadata through blockchain. Since metadata is randomly distributed on the ledger with no single point of collection, it is immune to hacking.