Secure Goods Supply Chain and Key Exchange with Virtual Proof of Reality

A new security protocol of {\it virtual proof of reality} (VP) is recently proposed by Ruhrmair {\it et al.} The VP allows one party, the prover, making a physical statement to the other party, the verifier, over a digital communication channel without using any secret keys except the message sent between these two parties. The physical statement could be a physical feature---eg. temperature---or phenomena---eg. destruction---of the hardware in the prover\u27s system. We present two applications---secure key exchange and secure goods supply chain---building on the VP of temperature, location, and destruction. Moreover, we experimentally demonstrate the first electrical circuit-based VP of destruction through the proposed hardware security primitive---a hybrid memristor and physical unclonable function (memristor-PUF) architecture, which takes advantage of the PUF extracted from static variations of CMOS devices inherent to the fabrication process and dynamic variations attributed to switching variabilities of nano memristors

Performance Analysis of Blockchain Platforms

Blockchain technologies have drawn massive attention to the world these past few years mostly because of the burst of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Etherium, Ripple and many others. A Blockchain, also known as distributed ledger technology, has demonstrated huge potential in saving time and costs. This open-source technology which generates a decentralized public ledger of transactions is widely appreciated for ensuring a high level of privacy through encryption and thus sharing the transaction details only amongst the participants involved in the transactions. The Blockchain is used not only for cryptocurrency but also by various companies to meet their business ends, such as efficient management of supply chains and logistics. The rise and fall of numerous crypto-currencies based on blockchain technology have generated debate among tech-giants and regulatory bodies. There are various groups which are working on standardizing the blockchain technology. At the same time, numerous groups are actively working, developing and fine-tuning their own blockchain platforms. Platforms such as etherium, hyperledger, parity, etc. have their own pros and cons. This research is focused on the performance analysis of blockchain platforms which gives a comparative understanding of these platforms

Cryptocurrencies and tokenization of assets: the managerial implications of a new financial reality

Cryptocurrency and tokenization of assets is a phenomenon that is yet to change many sectors in the economy. Already, its impact has had a significant effect on many financial markets. Cryptocurrencies are more than just a means of payment and transactions. The technology behind it, blockchain, has an even greater impact because it can be adopted even beyond the financial sector. The evolution of tokens and their popularity in the financial sector has had both positive and negative implications on the financial markets and companies. This research seeks to show the managerial implications of cryptocurrency and tokenization of assets. The present dissertation aims to address this gap because of the need for regulation of the sector. To understand the managerial implications of cryptocurrency and tokenization of assets, it is essential that we first understand what the two aspects are and how they operate. Later in this document, we shall observe that Bitcoin is currently the most popular cryptocurrency, although various types exist. At its inception in 2008, there were only about 50 coins in circulation, which has since evolved. Although blockchain technology had long since been invented, it only became popular with Bitcoin. The technology has three versions premised on virtual currency, smart contracts, and other sectors beyond finance and markets. This technology operates through complex algorithms and computers interconnected to minimize the possibility of fraud and hackings. Using companies like PayPal and eBay, valuable assets can be tokenized and traded as well. Blockchain is also popular for its ability to track records. The data is public and easily accessible. However, the privacy and anonymity of persons are also emphasized. Research was carried out using a qualitative method. This was done by reviewing and analyzing past literature on cryptocurrencies and their general impact on the economy. The pros and cons of using cryptocurrency were also examined to form a clear opinion on its economy usage. It was found that cryptocurrency and tokenization of assets guarantee security, are efficient for payment and promote transparency for business. However, it has limitations, such as the increased risk of fraudsters and illegal transactions

A Critical Investigation into Identifying Key Focus Areas for the Implementation of Blockchain Technology in the Mining Industry

Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2023.The value of digital information is ever-increasing as more companies utilize digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to gain deeper insight into their business operations and drive productivity gains. It is therefore important to safeguard and ensure the integrity of digital information exchange. Blockchain technology (BCT) was identified as potentially providing the mining industry with a trusted system for securely exchanging digital value. However, there is little evidence or understanding of how/where BCT can be implemented and what benefits the industry could obtain. This research study provides a fundamental understanding of what the technology is in order to identify the associated capabilities and potential application benefits for the mining industry. From a technology push perspective, blockchain capabilities are used to evaluate how the technology’s value drivers map to the mining industries core value chain processes. This was done to identify potential focus areas within the mining enterprise for further research and development of blockchain applications.ARMMining EngineeringMEngUnrestricte

Technology Fountain: Digital currency.

There are various innovative money payment systems in the market today, many of which arebuilt on platforms like the mobile phone, the Internet, and the digital storage card. Thesealternative payment systems have seen encouraging or even continued growth, from the likes ofPayPal, Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Alipay, Ten pal, Venmo, M-Pesa, BitPay, Moven, BitPesa,Pay Lah!, Dash, FAST, Transfer wise, and others. Beyond payment systems that are based on fiatcurrency, the growing use of digital currency allows for faster, more flexible, and moreinnovative payments and ways in financing goods and services. One digital currency, however,stands out among the rest. Bit coin is one of the most well-known digital currencies today. To bespecific, Bit coin is a crypto currency, which is a subset of what is generally known as a digitalcurrency. Bit coin is a unique crypto currency that is widely considered to be the first of its kind.Like many created after it, Bit coin uses the power of the Internet to process its transactions

Trends in crypto-currencies and blockchain technologies: A monetary theory and regulation perspective

The internet era has generated a requirement for low cost, anonymous and rapidly verifiable transactions to be used for online barter, and fast settling money have emerged as a consequence. For the most part, e-money has fulfilled this role, but the last few years have seen two new types of money emerge. Centralised virtual currencies, usually for the purpose of transacting in social and gaming economies, and crypto-currencies, which aim to eliminate the need for financial intermediaries by offering direct peer-to-peer online payments. We describe the historical context which led to the development of these currencies and some modern and recent trends in their uptake, in terms of both usage in the real economy and as investment products. As these currencies are purely digital constructs, with no government or local authority backing, we then discuss them in the context of monetary theory, in order to determine how they may be have value under each. Finally, we provide an overview of the state of regulatory readiness in terms of dealing with transactions in these currencies in various regions of the world