Blockchain for Information Security and Privacy

Udai Pratap Rao, Piyush Kumar Shukla, Chandan Trivedi, Sweta Gupta, Zelalem Sintayehu Shibeshi, Udai Pratap Rao, Piyush Kumar Shukla, Chandan Trivedi, Sweta Gupta, Zelalem Sintayehu Shibeshi

• Publisher: Auerbach Publications
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000483109
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Information Technology
• Index: Computer Science

Distributed and peer-to-peer (P2P) applications are increasing daily, and cyberattacks are constantly adopting new mechanisms to threaten the security and privacy of users in these Internet of Things (IoT) environments. Blockchain, a decentralized cryptographic-based technology, is a promising element for IoT security in manufacturing, finance, healthcare, supply chain, identity management, e-governance, defence, education, banking, and trading. Blockchain has the potential to secure IoT through repetition, changeless capacity, and encryption.

Blockchain for Information Security and Privacy provides essential knowledge of blockchain usage in the mainstream areas of security, trust, and privacy in decentralized domains. This book is a source of technical information regarding blockchain-oriented software and applications. It provides tools to researchers and developers in both computing and software engineering to develop solutions and automated systems that can promote security, trust, and privacy in cyberspace.

FEATURES

• Applying blockchain-based secured data management in confidential cyberdefense applications

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• Securing online voting systems using blockchain

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• Safeguarding electronic healthcare record (EHR) management using blockchain

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• Impacting security and privacy in digital identity management

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• Using blockchain-based security and privacy for smart contracts

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By providing an overview of blockchain technology application domains in IoT (e.g., vehicle web, power web, cloud internet, and edge computing), this book features side-by-side comparisons of modern methods toward secure and privacy-preserving blockchain technology. It also examines safety objectives, efficiency, limitations, computational complexity, and communication overhead of various applications using blockchain. This book also addresses the combination of blockchain and industrial IoT. It explores novel various-levels of information sharing systems.

Chapter 1 Blockchain Impact in Education and Society

S. Gomathi

UK International Qualifications, Ltd., UAE

Mukesh Soni

Jagran Lackecity University, India

Utkarsh Nigam

L.D. College of Engineering, India

Bhavna Bajpai

Dr. C.V. Raman University, India

Subrata Chowdhury

Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering and Technology (Autonomous), India

DOI: 10.1201/9781003129486-1

Contents

• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Topics Covered in This Section
  • 1.2.1 Finding the Relevant Article
• 1.3 Blockchain in Education
  • 1.3.1 Categories of Application
  • 1.3.2 Benefits
  • 1.3.3 Challenges Faced during the Adoption of Blockchain Technology in Education
• 1.4 Discussion
  • 1.4.1 What Applications Have You Developed for Educational Purposes with Blockchain Technology?
  • 1.4.2 What Benefits Will the Technology of Blockchain Bring to Education?
• 1.5 Future Research Areas
• 1.6 Conclusion
• References

1.1 Introduction

Blockchain was launched in 2008 as an emerging technology. The first time the transactions were registered in Bitcoin cryptocurrency [1] was used as a peer-to-peer ledger. The goal was to remove any intermediary (or third) parties and to allow users to transact directly. Blockchain has been developed to achieve this as a decentralized peer-node network. Every network node: (1) contains a copy of the transaction records; (2) writes an entry into the network’s own record when it receives consensus from other network nodes; (3) broadcasts any transaction that the network user transmits to other nodes on the network; and (4) verifies periodically that the network’s records are similar to those in the entire web [2]. As Bitcoin is continuing to grow in popularity, the tremendous potential of its underlying technology is realized by both researchers and practitioners [3]. Blockchain is used as a service in many other areas, not only in cryptocurrencies, since it has several key advantages: immutability, transparency, and trustworthiness.

Consequently, a growing number of Blockchain-based applications in various fields were developed [4]. The development of Blockchain-based applications, according to Gatteschi et al. [5], can be split into three key stages: 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. Initially, it was used to allow single cash transactions, with Blockchain 1.0 for cryptocurrencies. Blockchain 2.0 for properties and smart contracts was eventually launched. These intelligent contracts enforce specific requirements and standards to be satisfied before being registered in the Blockchain. Registration happens without a third party’s involvement. Many applications in different sectors, such as government [6], education [7], health [8], and science[9], were built in to Blockchain 3.0.

Blockchain remains in its early stages in its application for education. A small number of educational institutions rely entirely upon Blockchain technology. Most of these institutions use it to validate and share their students’ academic and learning outcomes. However, field researchers believe Blockchain technology has a lot more to offer and will revolutionize the field. Blockchain may be able to undermine the critical position played by educational institutions as certification officers, according to Nespor [10]. While the literature on Blockchain application has increased in recent years, there is currently no systematic analysis of the topic. Such a study is beneficial for an up-to-date analysis of the subject and informs evidence-based practices. Through research into how Blockchain technologies are used in education, this chapter provides an original and timely contribution to the literature on education technology. The primary target audiences are administrators, leaders, researchers, and scientists who want to protect their expertise and how it can have a profound effect on the field of education.

1.2 Topics Covered in This Section

1. How education can take benefit with Blockchain – Blockchain technology could provide significant educational benefits, including high-security, low-cost, improved evaluations of students, improved data access monitoring, improved accountability and transparency, identification authentication, increased confidence, and better data record performance, support of career decisions for learners and enhancement of interactivity between students.
2. Challenges in education – While Blockchain has shown its promise in an educational context, many challenges remain when using Blockchain technology. In this post, we have summed up these challenges in some main categories.
3. Blockchain applications in education – While an increasing number of Blockchain-based apps for education have been created, to date few have been released publicly. Such conditions can be divided into major categories, as described in the previous section. Every type deals with a problem of confidence, privacy, or protection in the field of education.
4. Student records and credentialing – Some institutions find Blockchain to be an excellent platform for storing, tracking, and using student credentials. A Blockchain diploma enables students to view their records quickly and efficiently and share this information with future employers. Employers would then have no need to contact universities and colleges directly to inquire about their achievements.
5. Copyright and digital rights protection – Academic plagiarism is a serious problem. Blockchain systems can be used to control the distribution of copyrighted material over the Internet. The technology’s primary function is the secure storage of data recorded in a chain. Therefore, data in the Blockchain cannot be altered manually because advanced encryption measures protect it.

The following paragraphs explain how these five measures were carried out in this systematic review. The following research questions were formulated based on the intent of this report.

1. Which applications were developed for educational purposes with Blockchain technology?
2. What advantages could technology Blockchain bring to training?
3. What are the challenges of Blockchain education technology?

1.2.1 Finding the Relevant Article

A number of academic databases, such as the ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore and Taylor and Francis, were searched online to compile articles related to a systematic review of the work. These included SAGE Papers, ProQuest, Springer, and the Web of Science. The databases were chosen on the Monash University Library website [6]. This website is compiled by one of the world’s leading universities, which is recognized for its excellence in teaching and science. This platform provides the largest number of critical databases. The nine databases are known for their high-impact, high-quality papers in education, and information technology. The last of these searches was carried out in April 2019. The quest was performed using the terms “Blockchain AND Education,”. “Blockchain AND Learning,” and “Blockchain AND Teaching” As each database uses a search syntax separately, every query string was set (see Table 1.1).

Table 1.1 Used Strings for Query Purpose

Strings	Source
Blockchain AND education, Blockchain AND learning, Blockchain AND teaching	Sciencedirect
((Blockchain) AND education), ((Blockchain) AND teaching), ((Blockchain) AND learning)	IEEE Xplore
[All Blockchain] AND [All education], [All Blockchain] AND [All teaching], [All Blockchain] AND [All learning]	SAGE Journals
digital library (Blockchain + education), (Blockchain + learning), (Blockchain + teaching)	ACM
[All: Blockchain] AND [All: education], [All: Blockchain] AND [All: teaching],[All: Blockchain] AND [All: learning]	Taylor & Francis online
Blockchain AND education, Blockchain AND teaching, Blockchain AND learning	Springer
(Blockchain) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (teaching)), (TITLE-ABS-KEY (Blockchain) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (learning))	Scopus
TOPIC: (Blockchain) AND TOPIC: (education),	Web of Science
Blockchain AND education, Blockchain AND teaching, Blockchain AND learning	ProQuest

Google Scholar was also searched for more papers during the subsequent completion of the report. The aim was to find other articles of quality not identified during the initial quest for databases. But, since the search requires references not checked by peers, Google Scholar has been limited to articles by well-known publishers, e.g., the AACE, the Australasian Society for the Advancement of Education Computers, the Canadian Education Innovation Network, Consortia Academia Publishing, and Distance Editorial. Google Scholar’s Advanced Search page has been used to limit the search to specific editors. The publishers’ names were entered in the field “Return published objects,” while the question stings were entered into the field “with all the words” using the following query strings for this search.

1. The researchers reviewed the titles and abstracts for the papers searched with the pre-defined requirements of inclusion and exclusion after the conclusion of their search. The search was completed.
   1. An essay was omitted where the complete text was not accessible online.
   2. Blockchain technology did not apply in education.
   3. The application being tabled was not practical; i.e., opinion.
      The application was not submitted. EndNote has inserted the remaining products and duplicates have been excluded. Finally, the full text of every document has been read to ensure that all the details relevant to this systematic analysis are included. There has been no consistency evaluation. Through using empirical bases as a main source for finding the related papers, the accuracy of this analysis has been assured. Only peer-reviewed papers written by leading publishers have then been deemed to be part of this analysis for the search on Google Scholar. We were thus able to include high-quality papers.
2. Data Extraction – For the extraction of data from the studies included, a data extraction form was used. The type was specifically developed for this review and was piloted on a sample of documents.
3. Data Analysis – Data analysis was carried out after extracting the data from documents. The extracted information was analysed on four key themes which emerged from the questions of study. The topics included: application, advantages, threats, and the future. Several sub-topics arose from data analyses for each of these key themes.

1.3 Blockchain in Education

Several Blockchain applications for educational purposes have been developed, as shown in Section 2.2. Such applications can be grouped into 12 distinct categories: management of qualifications, competence management, and learning results management, assessment of students’ abilities, the security of learning objects, safeguarding of shared learning environment, transferring fees and credits, gaining digital custodial consent, management of competitions, copyright management, enhancing interactions between students.

1.3.1 Categories of Application

1. Certification Management – Full virtual schools problematize what is meant by the term ‘school attendance’. Does it require the child to log in (regardless of the amount of work done) to the school’s software system, or should it alternatively be measured by how much work has been submitted (irrespective of the duration of time for login)? How do you understand how many teachers do when students work at home? Using documents and interviews with 22 teachers of 10 US VPNs Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), this article looks at schools in terms of time savings, animated by two temporary accumulation circuits: one that generates students’ academic records; a second one that measures the amount of times schools work with pupils. Cyber education reconfigures and connects these chains with impacts on school finance, student certification, and teachers’ employment [10]. Xu et al. [11] has introduced an educational certificate Blockchain (ECBC) that supports high performance and low latency and provides speeding-up queries. The ECBC consensus mechanism uses co-operation between peers to build competitive blocks to minimize latency and increase performance. ECBC provides an MPT (MPT-Chain) tree structure that cannot only include an effective transaction request, but also support a historical account transaction query. MPT-Chain requires only a short update period and can accelerate block verification. ECBC is also designed to protect user privacy via transaction format. The experiment shows that ECBC has better throughput and latency efficiency to accommodate rapid queries. Like this, there are many articles base...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Editors
• Contributors
• Chapter 1 Blockchain Impact in Education and Society
• Chapter 2 Apply and Analyse Several Blockchain Techniques in IoT and Big Data Sector
• Chapter 3 Blockchain: Trends, Role and Future Prospects
• Chapter 4 Cybersecurity and Privacy Issues of Blockchain Technology
• Chapter 5 Robust Digital Medical Image Watermarking and Encryption Algorithms Using Blockchain over DWT Edge Coefficient
• Chapter 6 Enhanced Privacy and Security of Voters’ Identity in an Interplanetary File System-Based E-Voting Process
• Chapter 7 Blockchain-Enabled Secure Internet of Vehicles: A Solution Taxonomy, Architecture, and Future Directions
• Chapter 8 Blockchain-Based Federated Cloud Environment: Issues and Challenges
• Chapter 9 Blockchain-Based Secured Data Management in Confidential Cyber Defence Applications
• Chapter 10 Blockchain Technology for Privacy and Security Issues and Challenges in IOT-Based Systems
• Chapter 11 A Secure Online Voting System Using Blockchain
• Chapter 12 Secure Electronic Health Records (EHR) Management Using Blockchain
• Chapter 13 Blockchain Impact of Security and Privacy in Digital Identity Management
• Chapter 14 A New Ecosystem for Digital Identity Verification Using Blockchain
• Chapter 15 Blockchain-Based Security and Privacy for Smart Contracts
• Chapter 16 Blockchain Application in Digital Identity Management in Elections
• Chapter 17 Leveraging Blockchain Technology for Decentralized Domain Name Broker Service
• Chapter 18 Using Blockchain for Digital Copyrights Management
• Index