Ethereum

Decentralised platforms are changing the digital world by working without central authority. This decentralisation gives users more control over their data and reduces censorship, thus creating a more open Internet. Well-known examples, such as Ethereum and IPFS, demonstrate various uses of blockchain technology. Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) are cryptographic innovations that allow a party to prove the truth of a statement without revealing any additional information. ZKPs offer significant privacy benefits on decentralised platforms while addressing compliance requirements, such as the Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations. Understanding how ZKPs can enhance privacy on decentralised platforms is crucial, especially when considering concerns related to extremist activities. Anonymity provided by these technologies can be exploited for terrorism and other illicit purposes.

The health insurance industry has been very key in standing in as a source of financial support for those with medical bills.
However, the current claims management processes represent a problem because of inefficiency and some of the processes are opaque with
high risks of fraud; and this results in massive losses to insurers. As for these challenges, this paper aims to discuss the possibilities of using
Blockchain Technology and AI for improving the processes of the health insurance claim management. The claims process is made efficient
since the application of blockchain technology in managing data is decentralized and has a structure that cannot be altered. At the same
time, AI integrated for its superior pattern recognition inventiveness can in the same way identify fraudulent claims instantly while promptly
addressing the genuine claims. This research introduces the integration of these technologies as the research offers a use case for smart
contracts in automation of claims approvals and settlements while using machine learning models to detect fraud. As a result of this
integration, the proposed system seeks to improve trust, cut down administrative expenses, and hasten the claims process to the advantage
of insurers and policyholders. Last, the necessity and possibility of using the proposed models for other health insurance scenarios, further
research prospects, and the consideration of key regulatory issues and challenges in adopting the emerging technologies when applied to
the health insurance context are examined.

Smart contracts have become an integral part of blockchain technology, enabling the execution of self-enforcing agreements without the need for intermediaries. However, their complex nature and inherent code-based vulnerabilities pose significant security risks. This paper explores the challenges and current state of smart contract fuzzing and security analysis, focusing on Ethereum smart contracts. In addition, various threat models are detailed and examined along with the existing literature on different fuzzing techniques, security vulnerabilities, testing challenges, and protections. Another aim is to identify open research challenges and propose potential solutions, including selecting appropriate fuzzing techniques, adopting best practices with mitigations, also conducting rigorous testing, and implementing continuous security analysis for monitoring. The paper provides a comprehensive understanding of the current landscape of smart contract security in order to offer insight and direction into research and development.

The study proposes a DeFi System to provide organization-level ac- countability for real-time crypto-asset transactions, democratizing crowdfunding and financial support by enabling contributors to donate. Recent work in this area has seen a lot of development in crypto assets being stored in wallets, however, currently there are no real-world implementations of smart contracts in Finance. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin were invented to make international purchases easier and more secure. In past years, buyers had to use third parties to make purchases because financial institutions did not allow online international purchases. This made business with international buyers and business owners very difficult. We capitalize on the latest advancements of Blockchain and Ethereum leveraging the power of approval-based transactions with smart contracts to provide transparency between the donor and recipient. With the proposed rule-based contract management system, 50% of contributors are able to approve the transaction request to process the same to the targeted Fundraiser.

This in-depth review delves into the complexities of blockchain technology, a groundbreaking innovation that is transforming the digital world by boosting trust, transparency, and efficiency in transactions. The paper examines the core principles of blockchain, tracing its journey from the launch of Bitcoin in 2008 to its expansion into various industries, including finance, healthcare, and supply chain management. It outlines the essential components of blockchain—blocks, chains, and nodes—while providing a technical overview of its functionality, highlighting its decentralized nature and the consensus mechanisms that uphold security and integrity. The review also categorizes the different types of blockchain—public, private, and consortium—emphasizing their distinct features and applications. Furthermore, it evaluates the benefits of blockchain, such as improved security, transparency, and decentralization, while addressing the challenges and limitations that need to be overcome for broader adoption. The paper also looks ahead at future trends in blockchain technology, including its integration with artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, the emergence of decentralized finance, and the focus on sustainability and interoperability.Ethical considerations surrounding blockchain implementation are also discussed, stressing the importance of responsible usage that respects privacy, ensures accountability, and fosters inclusivity. To illustrate the practical applications and societal impact of this technology, case studies of successful blockchain initiatives, such as IBM Food Trust, De Beers' Tracr, and Everledger, are presented. In conclusion, the review highlights the transformative potential of blockchain in tackling societal challenges and promoting a more equitable economic landscape, while cautioning that its integration must be approached with care to address existing challenges and ethical dilemmas.

The theme of accounting in blockchain environment has been referenced and theoretically discussed over the last few years in international publications, both of academic and professional nature. However, until today, there are no other known works that pursued a path in order to perform accounting records in blockchain. In the present work the authors go beyond this, as they will demonstrate, also proposing a practical solution for its implementation and use in a generalized way. The authors present two new proofs of concept, which are part of an ongoing work process to obtain the development of the Portuguese accounting system using blockchain. The most recent of the sequential steps was designing and developing the tokenization process and a Dapp that will be used to perform and consult accounting operations through any mobile device, by developing smart contracts. In a near future, this system will allow accounting operations to be carried out, in a simple way, on the blockchain, assuming implications for the way in which accountants, users of financial information, and software houses work.

This article explores the emerging field of decentralized identity solutions, with a focus on self-sovereign identity (SSI) as a transformative approach to digital identity management. It examines the limitations of traditional centralized systems and highlights how decentralized frameworks address these issues by empowering users with control over their personal data. The article discusses key components of SSI, including Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials, and explores the potential benefits of these systems in enhancing privacy, security, efficiency, and inclusivity. Additionally, it analyzes the challenges facing widespread adoption, such as standardization, scalability, user experience, and regulatory compliance, while considering ongoing research efforts and future directions in this rapidly evolving domain.

Um problema intrinseco a implementacao de uma rede sem fio: o legado das contas de usuarios antigos, para autenticacao direta dos usuarios, tem uma solucao bastante simples, mas nem tanto obvia. Encontram-se documentacoes contendo as alternativas que fazem uso de recursos modernos, mas que forcam uma migracao de contas de usuarios em larga escala. O transtorno administrativo gerado pela recriacao das contas para outras bases que atendam aos requisitos de autenticacao de seguranca de usuarios, pode representar um fator de insatisfacao suficientemente grande para fazer o projeto tender ao fracasso ou, no minimo, ter um custo tecnico ou politico muito alto. Este trabalho apresenta a alternativa, consagrada, para o aproveitamento do que ja existe e esta em uso, com o menor impacto para as comunidades de usuarios, usando o Free-Radius, que pode ser facilmente instalado em praticamente qualquer ambiente Unix, como FreeBSD e os “Linuxes” em geral. Uma solucao simples, muito barata, eficien...

Blockchain governance is a subject of ongoing research and an interdisciplinary view of blockchain governance is vital to aid in further research for establishing a formal governance framework for this nascent technology. In this paper, the position of blockchain governance within the hierarchy of Institutional governance is discussed. Blockchain governance is analyzed from the perspective of IT governance using Nash equilibrium to predict the outcome of different governance decisions. A payoff matrix for blockchain governance is created and simulation of different strategy profiles is accomplished for computation of all Nash equilibria. The paper elaborates upon payoff matrices for different kinds of blockchain governance, which are used in the proposition of novel mathematical formulae usable to predict the best governance strategy that minimizes the occurrence of a hard fork as well as predicts the behavior of the majority during protocol updates. The paper also includes validati...

Bitcoin's underlying blockchain technology is rapidly rising in popularity as a means to create and manage digital transactions. It's a decentralized, immutable ledger for recording transactions. Many industries, including the Internet of Things, healthcare, energy, supply chain, manufacturing, cyber security, and especially financial services, could benefit from a rethinking of how digital transactions are conceived thanks to this rapidly developing technology. This new technology, however, is still in its formative stages of development. Blockchain has enormous potential, but there are still many questions about how to best use it, including how to ensure its scalability, security, privacy, compliance, and governance. Some research has been done on blockchain security and privacy concerns, but there hasn't been a comprehensive look at how secure blockchain systems actually are. This article evaluated the vulnerabilities already present in the Blockchain and provided a comprehensive evaluation of the security concerns facing blockchain systems. These flaws allow for the activation of a wide variety of security threats that could otherwise prevent Blockchain platforms from functioning as intended.

Fake products have become a common term in business, especially in the consumer market. Due to the fake products, companies are going through a lot of financial losses, hampering the brand name, and at the end of the day, every day, they are losing customers. Product counterfeiting is rampant in the modern economy, and it is difficult to detect whether the product is genuine or fake by simply looking at it. In Bangladesh, the market is full of fake products, making it difficult for local customers to detect them. Because of those counterfeit products, legitimate companies are facing issues. Several historical solutions have been developed to overcome the issue of product counterfeiting. Among the most widely used approaches are RFID tags, AI, QR code-based systems, etc. However, the mentioned system has some drawbacks. For example, a QR code can be copied from a genuine product and put into a fake product. The objective of the project is to enhance the identification of counterfeit items. Utilizing blockchain technology facilitates this capability, enabling the distinct identification of products and subsequent monitoring across the whole supply chain. The use of distributed ledger technology, commonly known as Blockchain, enables multiple people to access and see the data concurrently. One of the primary advantages of the system is its robustness against unauthorized modifications to the recorded data, necessitating the consensus of all relevant parties. This attribute enhances the security of the data, shielding it from potential weaknesses. This study presents a novel approach to detecting counterfeit products using blockchain technology.

Additionally, I think it's crucial to highlight that these technologies are not just theoretical-they are actively used in blockchain networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum. For example, Bitcoin's proof-of-work system relies on SHA-256, and Ethereum 2.0's upcoming upgrades include cryptographic improvements based on ECC.

The present disclosure is directed to a novel system for using unique device and user identifiers to perform authentication of a user, device, and/or transaction. In particular, the system may use a heterogeneous blockchain system comprising a series of non-uniform blockchain nodes that may differ in functionality and/or positions of hierarchy. Said non-uni form nodes may further be organized into groups and/or subgroups with custom weight inputs/outputs which alter the degree to which the nodes, groups, and/or subgroups influence the blockchain consensus. In this way, the system increases the security of device authentication by helping to prevent the use of device hijacking methods that circumvent conventional authentication practices.

The present disclosure is directed to a novel system for using unique device and user identifiers to perform authentication of a user, device, and/or transaction. In particular, the system may use device biometric profiles and/or user identifiers to generate a unique identifiable signature for each user and/or device. The unique signature may then be used to authenticate devices as well as transactions submitted by said devices. In this way, the system increases the security of device authentication by helping to prevent the use of device hijacking methods that circumvent conventional authentication practices.

This research introduces a novel decentralized storage system implemented through the integration of blockchain technology. The system is manifested in the form of a website developed using React.js, tailwindcss, and MySQL as the backend database, complemented by the Inter Planetary File System (IPFS) for the secure storage of diverse document formats such as .pdf, .jpg, and .png. Users can securely manage their documents within their respective accounts on the platform. One of the primary features of the system is the ability for users to securely request access to specific documents from other users via the blockchain. This mechanism ensures a transparent and tamper-resistant transaction process, bolstering the security and integrity of document sharing. Additionally, users can seamlessly store their own documents within their personalized accounts, enhancing the platform's user-centric functionality. The utilization of React.js and tailwindcss ensures an interactive and visually appealing user interface, contributing to an enhanced user experience. The backend infrastructure, supported by MySQL, provides a robust and scalable foundation for efficient data management. This research contributes to the field by presenting a comprehensive solution that addresses the challenges associated with centralized storage systems. The decentralized architecture, coupled with blockchain-based access control, not only enhances security but also promotes transparency and accountability in document management.

The goal of the paper is to design and implement a distributed trust infrastructure, which makes use of the existing Internet Domain Name System (DNS) and its global trust anchor. Since it has high scalability and eases the burden on relying parties in turn, allows for highly efficient queries to support individual trust decisions. In this implementation, a stand-alone private DNS infrastructure including top level domains was developed with Raspberry Pi Cluster. Further, the security of the DNS for the trust infrastructure is enhanced by implementing DNSSEC and DANE protocol with TLSA resource records. It also includes the core functionality of the LIGHTest infrastructure like developing trust lists, Trust Scheme Publication Authority (TSPA) and a Delegation Publisher (DP). In this paper, a distributed trust infrastructure is developed and visualized practically by designing an infrastructure for validation and authentication of faults in the sensor system of an organization using ...

As a consequence of mass unemployment being the byproduct of COVID-19, people around the world discovered
investment in cryptocurrency as a means to tackle their declining financial condition. Subsequently, the prominence of
Ethereum as a platform for crypto transactions also gave rise to fraudulent transactions. The need to detect these frauds exists
even today.

Читая известную книгу Эдмунда Тейлора Уиттекера «История теорий эфира и электричества», мне пришло в голову, а что если то, что мы называем в научном понимании «энергия» назвать другим словом? Словом, как мне показалось более подходящим по характеру явления. Я предлагаю физический термин «энергия» заменить словом-реакция, а словом энергия обозначать ту реакцию в момент ее наблюдения человеком которая совершает полезную работу.

Digital certificates serve as essential cryptographic tools in securing online transactions and communications by verifying the identities of parties involved. The main goal of this project is to make digital certificates more secure using blockchain technology. Digital certificates are important for verifying things like education degrees, medical records, and financial transactions. However, current methods can be vulnerable to fraud and tampering. We use blockchain technology, which is a decentralized and tamper-proof system. Digital certificates will be stored on the blockchain, making them impossible to alter. Smart contracts will automate the verification process, making it faster and more reliable. By using a decentralized approach, we can eliminate single points of failure and make the whole system more trustworthy. In the future, we'll expand the system to handle different types of certificates and work on making it compatible with existing systems. We'll also research ways to make the blockchain system work for large-scale use. Continuous improvements will be made to keep up with changes in technology and security threats.

Permissioned blockchains are arising as a solution to federate companies prompting accountable interactions. A variety of consensus algorithms for such blockchains have been proposed, each of which has dierent benets and drawbacks. Proof-of-Authority (PoA) is a new family of Byzantine fault-tolerant (BFT) consensus algorithms largely used in practice to ensure better performance than traditional Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT). However, the lack of adequate analysis of PoA hinders any cautious evaluation of their eectiveness in real-world permissioned blockchains deployed over the Internet, hence on an eventually synchronous network experimenting Byzantine nodes.<br> In this paper, we analyse two of the main PoA algorithms, named Aura and Clique, both in terms of provided guarantees and performances. First, we derive their functioning including how messages are exchanged, then we weight, by relying on the CAP theorem, consistency, availability and partition toleranc...

Miért is vonzaná két test egymást? Van e valami kiváltó erő a testekben, ami ezt kiváltaná. Az eltörölt éter elmélet ad rá okot, azaz a taszításra, ami messzebbről vonzásnak tűnhet. Ezt vizsgáljuk meg.

Why would two bodies attract each other? Is there some triggering force in the bodies that would trigger this. The theory of annihilated ether gives it a reason, i.e. repulsion, which can look like attraction from a distance. Let's examine this.

There was a problem in Eastern Canada where the Teachers were not getting paid due to pension problems.  I wrote this contract in response to that problem.  There are Funds.  Student's have Funds that can be funded by anyone with an Ethereum account.  Teachers provide Courses.  Students pay Teachers.

A sketch of a financial structure that allows students to fund teachers to teach.

Ethereum es el principal ecosistema basado en blockchain que proporciona un entorno para codificar y ejecutar contratos inteligentes, propiedad que en estos últimos años recibió gran atención por las nuevas aplicaciones comerciales y, también, por la comunidad científica. El proceso de escritura de contratos seguros y de buen desempeño en la plataforma Ethereum es un gran desafío para los desarrolladores. Implica la aplicación de paradigmas de programación no convencionales debido a las características inherentes de la ejecución de programas de computación distribuida. Además, los errores en los contratos desplegados pueden tener graves consecuencias debido al acoplamiento inmediato del código del contrato y las transacciones financieras. El manejo directo de los activos significa que las fallas tienen más probabilidades de ser relevantes para la seguridad y tienen mayores consecuencias económicas que los errores en las aplicaciones típicas. Una serie de reportes de incidentes muest...

In Sri Lanka, the widespread occurrence of fraudulent activities in vehicle registration processes presents notable challenges, especially regarding ownership disputes and discrepancies in vehicle history. This study first investigates the drawbacks of the existing manual registration system, which leads to delays in registration, ownership transfer, and modification processes, thus contributing to fraudulent activities in the secondary vehicle market. These challenges arise from centralized storage systems, which are vulnerable to single points of failure and data integrity compromise due to third-party involvement. To address these deficiencies, as a solution, this paper recommends the adoption of blockchain technology, utilizing its decentralized and distributed nature to ensure the security, reliability, and transparency of vehicle information management. Specifically, a blockchain-based system is proposed and developed on the Ethereum network, incorporating smart contracts to streamline key functions of the Sri Lankan government's vehicle registration process. These functions include new vehicle registration, reproducible certificate issuance, ownership transfers, modifications, and comprehensive vehicle history maintenance. The system provides public access to vehicle details, including historical data, via a user-friendly mobile application. Ultimately, this study contributes to establishing a secure and reliable method that simplifies the vehicle registration process, mitigating security breaches and data tampering risks.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a very powerful technology and can be a potential disrupter and essential enabler. As AI expands into almost every aspect of our lives, people raise serious concerns about AI misbehaving and misuse. To address this concern, international organizations have put forward ethics guidelines for constructing trustworthy AI (TAI), including privacy, transparency, fairness, robustness, accountability, and so on. However, because of the black-box characteristics and complex models of AI systems, it is challenging to translate these guiding principles and aspirations into AI systems. Blockchain, an important decentralized technology, can provide the capabilities of transparency, traceability, immutability, and secure sharing and hence can be used to make AI trustworthy. In this paper, we survey studies on blockchain-based TAI (BTAI) from a software development lifecycle view. We classify the lifecycle of BTAI into four stages: Planning, data collection, model development, and system deployment/use. Particularly, we investigate and summarize the trustworthy issues that blockchain can achieve in the latter three stages, including (1) data transparency, privacy, and accountability; (2) model transparency, privacy, robustness, and fairness; and (3) robustness, privacy, transparency, and fairness of system deployment/use. Finally, we present essential open research issues and future work on developing BTAI systems.

Приготовьтесь к очередному эпизоду "Кибербезопасности", в котором будут показаны наши любимые кибер-злодеи, и их громкие облачные выходки! На этот раз АНБ и ФБР объединились, чтобы рассказать захватывающую историю о том, что атакующим уже не интересны локальные сети и сервера, когда есть бескрайние просторы облачных сервисов.

Этот документ больше похож на практическое руководство для начинающих киберпреступников, чем на предупреждение. В нем подробно описывается хитроумная смена тактики, когда наглым образом воруются токенов от учётных записей, особенно неиспользуемых, но всё ещё активных, чтобы обойти разом все облачные механизмы защиты.

Если вы думали, что ваши данные в облаке будут в большей безопасности, подумайте ещё раз. А потом, обновите свои пароли, защитите свои учётные записи и, возможно, купите кибер-страховку, этот рынок кибер-продуктов популярнее ИБ-продуктов.

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В документе представлен всесторонний анализ публикации, в которой подробно описаны известные тактики, методы и процедуры (TTP), используемые кибер-профессионалами для получения первоначального доступа к облачным системам. Анализ охватывает различные аспекты, включая выявление и использование уязвимостей, различные методы использования облачных технологий, развёртывание специального вредоносного ПО.

Представлены ключевые моменты и полезная информация, которую могут использовать ИБ и ИТ специалисты и специалисты в различных отраслях для улучшения своих защитных стратегий, против спонсируемых государством киберугроз. Понимая адаптированную тактику субъекта для первоначального доступа к облаку, заинтересованные стороны могут лучше предвидеть и снижать потенциальные риски для своей облачной инфраструктуры, тем самым укрепляя свою общую безопасность.

Crowdfunding has revolutionized the way
individuals and organizations raise funds for their
endeavors. With the rise of online platforms and social
media, this innovative method of fundraising allows
entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations to reach a
global network of potential investors and donors. Trust
and credibility are key factors in the success of
crowdfunding, and the integration of blockchain
technology has taken this to new heights. The
decentralized nature of blockchain brings a new level of
democracy to the fundraising process, giving donors and
recipients greater freedom, transparency, and incentives
to participate. The trend towards distributed
autonomous organizations (DAOs) has further disrupted
traditional fundraising methods, as more capital is being
directed towards blockchain-based crowdfunding
campaigns. This has made fundraising more accessible,
flexible, and efficient, freeing it from the limitations of
centralized gatekeepers. Crowdfunding with blockchain
technology has immense potential for growth and
impact, and it is an exciting development in the world of
fundraising

Aim: This study aims to offer a comprehensive examination of the security vulnerabilities associated with blockchain technology, with the aim of identifying critical challenges and formulating strategic solutions to bolster system integrity and enhance user trust.
Methods: The study employs a combination of literature review and case study analysis to explore specific vulnerabilities such as re-entrance attacks, transaction malleability, and the risks associated with third-party integrations. Various recommendations are offered to address the outlined vulnerabilities in blockchains and smart contacts.
Conclusion: Securing blockchain platforms against emerging threats requires a multidisciplinary approach that encompasses technological innovation, stringent regulatory oversight, and comprehensive user education. It advocates for ongoing research and collaborative efforts todevelop robust security measures that ensure the sustainable integration of blockchain technology into global digital infrastructures, thereby maximizing its transformative potential while minimizing associated risks. Enhancing the understanding of blockchain's security needs and continuously adapting to emerging threats are crucial for the technology’s future resilience and widespread adoption.