Consortium Blockchain Data Integrity via Public Sidechain Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current blockchain systems face challenges in ensuring data integrity and privacy, particularly in consortium blockchain networks, where data verification and tampering detection are inefficient, and privacy protection mechanisms are inadequate.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a public auxiliary blockchain, or 'sidechain,' that verifies data integrity by storing data digests in a consortium blockchain and using verification nodes to cryptographically sign these digests, which are then stored in a public blockchain, ensuring data integrity and providing an incentive mechanism through smart contracts for node participation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is stored in a consortium blockchain with limited nodes, then privacy protection is improved, but data integrity verification becomes weaker
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the blockchain network into two distinct layers: a consortium blockchain for private data storage and a public blockchain for integrity verification. This segmentation allows each layer to serve its specific function optimally - the consortium chain maintains privacy while the public chain provides robust verification through its distributed node structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where data digests (hash values) act as mediators between the consortium blockchain and public blockchain. These digests are stored on both chains, enabling the public blockchain to verify data integrity without exposing private data, thus bridging the trust gap between private and public networks.
2Reliability
If more nodes participate in consensus process, then data integrity is improved, but system complexity and coordination overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the integrity verification function from the consortium blockchain's consensus process and relocates it to the public blockchain. This extraction allows the consortium chain to maintain its efficient private consensus while the public blockchain handles the verification using its own distributed node consensus, eliminating the need for complex coordination between multiple private nodes.
3Productivity
If data digests are stored on public blockchain for verification, then verification efficiency is improved, but privacy protection mechanisms become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a cryptographic copy (data digest/hash) of the original data and stores it on the public blockchain. This copy serves as a verification anchor that enables efficient integrity checks without requiring access to the actual private data, thus maintaining privacy while improving verification efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances data integrity by leveraging a large number of nodes in the consensus process, making data tampering difficult and providing a robust verification mechanism, while also incentivizing node participation through monetary rewards, thus ensuring the authenticity and integrity of data stored in consortium blockchain networks.
Implementation Method 1
each verification node cryptographically signs the first data digest and stores its signed first data digest in a public blockchain
Data Source
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AI summary
Implementations of the present specification include storing a data item in a consortium blockchain; generating a first data digest based on the stored data item; sending the first data digest to verification nodes to cryptographically signs it and stores the signed first data digest in a public blockchain; receiving a request to retrieve the stored data item; retrieving the requested data item from the consortium blockchain; generating a second data digest based on the retrieved data item; sending the second data digest to verification nodes so that each verification node signs the second data digest; receiving the signed second data digests from the plurality of verification nodes; retrieving the signed first data digests from the public blockchain; determining that the signed first data digests match the signed second data digests; and sending a response indicating the stored data item is unchanged to the request to retrieve the stored data item.