Unfalsifiable Blockchain Audit Logs via Cryptographic Commitments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blockchain solutions leak sensitive information about transactions during audit trails, as they are publicly readable and allow multiple trails to be stored for the same transaction, compromising privacy and security.
Innovation Solution
A method is implemented where a participating node connects to a blockchain, executes a transaction, assigns a unique transaction identifier, generates a transaction tag using a keyed one-way function, and sends the tag and transaction trail to the blockchain, ensuring only one trail is stored per transaction, using information-theoretic hiding commitments and cryptographic zero-knowledge proofs for long-term protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If transaction trails are stored on the blockchain for auditing purposes, then auditability and accountability are improved, but sensitive transaction information is leaked because the blockchain is publicly readable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the transaction trail data from the public blockchain ledger by using cryptographic commitments. Instead of storing actual transaction details on-chain, only cryptographic hashes and commitments are stored, while the actual trails remain off-chain. This allows auditability through verification of commitments without exposing sensitive information in the public ledger.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cryptographic commitments as an intermediary between the transaction trails and the blockchain storage. These commitments act as a mediator that enables verification of trail authenticity and completeness without revealing the actual trail content. The commitments serve as a bridge that provides auditability while maintaining privacy.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple trails are stored for the same transaction to present favorable evidence, then flexibility in auditing is improved, but trust and security are compromised due to inability to verify which trail is authentic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where each transaction trail is associated with a unique cryptographic commitment that can be verified against the blockchain. This verification feedback allows auditors to confirm the authenticity and uniqueness of trails, preventing the storage of multiple conflicting trails for the same transaction while maintaining auditing flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary cryptographic binding of transaction trails to unique identifiers before storage. By pre-computing and storing cryptographic commitments that bind trails to specific transactions, the system prevents later manipulation or duplication of trails, ensuring that only one authentic trail exists per transaction while allowing flexible auditing approaches.
Data Source
AI summary
An example operation may include one or more of connecting to a blockchain configured to store transactions executed by the participating node, executing a transaction to produce a transaction trail, assigning a transaction identifier (ID) to the transaction, generating a transaction tag based on the transaction ID, and sending to the blockchain the transaction tag and the transaction trail to be entered into the blockchain.