Quantum-Resistant Blockchain Audit Trail for Dataset Accountability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The advent of quantum computers poses a threat to the security of existing cryptographic algorithms used in blockchain systems, necessitating the development of quantum-resistant cryptography to maintain data integrity and accountability.
Innovation Solution
A quantum-resistant blockchain that employs cryptographic algorithms such as CRYSTALS-Dilithium, FALCON, and SPHINCS+ to encrypt and store a quantum-resistant audit trail of dataset changes, ensuring security against both quantum and classical computers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms are used to encrypt blockchain blocks, then security against quantum computing threats is improved, but computational complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by migrating to quantum-resistant cryptography before quantum computers become widely available. The system proactively implements CRYSTALS-Dilithium, FALCON, and SPHINCS+ algorithms now, so that any information stored in the blockchain would be resistant to future quantum attacks. This advance preparation resolves the contradiction by accepting current computational complexity in exchange for future security guarantees.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the cryptographic parameters from traditional algorithms (ECDSA, Ed25519) to quantum-resistant alternatives. Specifically, it implements CRYSTALS-Dilithium for digital signatures, FALCON for compact signatures, and SPHINCS+ for hash-based signatures. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by selecting algorithms that provide equivalent security levels with acceptable performance characteristics.
2Reliability
If quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms are implemented, then resistance to quantum cryptanalysis is improved, but migration cost and implementation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cryptographic implementation into multiple independent algorithm options (CRYSTALS-Dilithium, FALCON, SPHINCS+). Each algorithm can be implemented separately, allowing for modular adoption and testing. This segmentation reduces implementation complexity by breaking down the large task of quantum-resistant migration into manageable components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses hash functions as intermediaries in the quantum-resistant cryptographic scheme. The SPHINCS+ hash-based signature scheme and the use of SHA-256 or SHA-3 for hashing provide a familiar cryptographic primitive that bridges traditional and quantum-resistant cryptography. This intermediary approach simplifies implementation by building quantum-resistant security on top of well-understood hash function infrastructure.
3Reliability
If an immutable ledger is maintained to ensure accountability, then data integrity is improved, but flexibility to modify data is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the blockchain into discrete blocks, each containing a log of dataset changes. Each block is individually encrypted with quantum-resistant cryptography and linked to the previous block through cryptographic hashing. This segmentation allows the system to maintain immutability at the block level while providing flexibility in how data is organized and accessed within each block.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary hashing of data before it is added to the blockchain. Each block contains a log of dataset versions and changes, which are hashed and then encrypted. This preliminary action ensures data integrity is established before the data becomes immutable, allowing for verification of data authenticity while maintaining the immutability guarantee.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods may include contributing to a quantum-resistant blockchain that stores a quantum-resistant audit trail of changes to a dataset. A non-transitory computer readable medium may store instructions that are run on a computer processor to populate a block with a log of a dataset, run a quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithm to encrypt the block, distribute the block to and receive approval from blockchain nodes to add the block to the blockchain, and run the algorithm to encrypt the block onto the blockchain. The method may include repeating the steps of running the non-transitory medium on the computer processor to populate a second block with a second log of the dataset, run the algorithm to encrypt the second block, distribute the second block to and receive approval from the blockchain nodes to add the block to the blockchain, and run the algorithm to encrypt the second block onto the blockchain.