Decentralized trust in the inter-domain routing infrastructure

Inter-domain routing security is of critical importance to the Internet since it prevents unwanted traffic redirections. The current system is based on a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), a centralized repository of digital certificates. However, the inherent centralization of such design creates tensions between its participants and hinders its deployment. In addition, some technical drawbacks of PKIs delay widespread adoption. In this paper we present IPchain, a blockchain to store the allocations and delegations of IP addresses. IPchain leverages blockchains' properties to decentralize trust among its participants, with the final goal of providing flexible trust models that adapt better to the ever-changing geopolitical landscape. Moreover, we argue that Proof of Stake is a suitable consensus algorithm for IPchain due to the unique incentive structure of this use-case, and that blockchains offer relevant technical advantages when compared to existing systems, such as simplified management. In order to show its feasibility and suitability, we have implemented and evaluated IPchain's performance and scalability storing around 350k IP prefixes in a 2.5 GB chain.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Secure and Privacy Driven Energy Data Analytics

PhD thesis in Information technologyRenewable resources are the main energy sources in a smart grid project. In order to ensure the smooth functioning of the smart grid, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) need to be utilised efficiently. The objective of the SmartNEM project is to effectively utilise the technologies such as Machine Learning, Blockchain and Data Hubs for the aforementioned purpose and at the same time ensure a secured and privacy preserved solution. The data involved in smart grids require high security and it can be sensitive due to the household data which contains personal information. The individuals can be reluctant to share these data due to mistrust and to avoid unnecessary manipulation of the data they provide. In order to overcome this it is necessary to build a trust based framework in which one could ensure data security and data privacy for the data owners to open up their data for data analysis. To achieves this we have proposed an architecture called TOTEM, Token for Controlled Computation, which integrates Blockchain and Big Data technologies. The conventional method of data analysis demands data be moved across the network to the location where the execution happens, however in the TOTEM architecture computational code will be moved to the data owner’s environment where the data is located. The TOTEM is a three layer architecture (Blockchain consortium layer, Storage layer and Computational layer) with two main actors, data provider and data consumer. Data provider provides metadata of the data they own and provide resources for the execution of data. Data consumers will get an opportunity to execute their own code on the data provider´s data. For a controlled computation and to avoid malicious functions an entity called totem is introduced in the architecture. The authorised users should meet the requirements of Totem value for executing their code on the requested data. For live monitoring of the totem value throughout the run time is achieved with the components such as totem manager and updaters in the computational layer. The code must follow a specific format and will undergo preliminary checks with the TOTEM defined SDK and smart contracts deployed by the data providers in the blockchain network. The Extended TOTEM architecture is also proposed to address the additional features when it is needed to combine the results from multiple data providers without sharing the data. This research work focused on the design of the TOTEM architecture and implementation as a proof of concept for the newly introduced components in the architecture. We have also introduced artificial intelligence in the framework to improve core features’ functionality. In the present research, the TOTEM architecture is proposed for the SmartNEM project to utilize the energy data for decision making and figure out the trends or patterns, while maintaining data privacy, data ownership, accountability and traceability. Moreover, the architecture can be extended to other domains such as health, education, etc, where data security and privacy is the key concern in sharing the data

An empirical analysis of smart contracts: platforms, applications, and design patterns

Smart contracts are computer programs that can be consistently executed by a network of mutually distrusting nodes, without the arbitration of a trusted authority. Because of their resilience to tampering, smart contracts are appealing in many scenarios, especially in those which require transfers of money to respect certain agreed rules (like in financial services and in games). Over the last few years many platforms for smart contracts have been proposed, and some of them have been actually implemented and used. We study how the notion of smart contract is interpreted in some of these platforms. Focussing on the two most widespread ones, Bitcoin and Ethereum, we quantify the usage of smart contracts in relation to their application domain. We also analyse the most common programming patterns in Ethereum, where the source code of smart contracts is available.Comment: WTSC 201

Blockchains For Publicizing Available Scientific Datasets

This thesis explores the effectiveness of blockchain technology for advertisement of scientific data. Recently the advancement in hardware and software for data processing increases the supply and demand for huge data sets. Such data may be widely distributed, and not immediately available to the scientists who need it. We need a method of advertising available datasets to interested parties. Blockchains are a recent innovation developed by the cryptocurrency community, but are increasingly applied to other problem domains. Due to their currency heritage, however, the properties of blockchains do not always lend themselves to new applications. We have developed a prototype dapp (distributed application) to advertise available scientific datasets using metadata. A private ethereum blockchain is used to distribute metadata to users, while an ethereum contract matches dataset providers with consumers. Lastly, a conceptual currency is used to incentivize efficient resource selection