Securing Blockchain Networks like Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric
Learn advanced security configurations and design principles to safeguard Blockchain networks
Alessandro Parisi
- 244 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Securing Blockchain Networks like Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric
Learn advanced security configurations and design principles to safeguard Blockchain networks
Alessandro Parisi
About This Book
Build secure private blockchain networks to handle mission-critical security challenges such as denial-of-service attacks, user wallets, and pool mining attacks
Key Features
- Explore blockchain concepts such as cryptography, consensus algorithms, and security assumptions
- Architect network security for mission-critical decentralized apps (Dapps) using design security considerations
- Consider various deployment and operational aspects while building a blockchain network
Book Description
Blockchain adoption has extended from niche research to everyday usage. However, despite the blockchain revolution, one of the key challenges faced in blockchain development is maintaining security, and this book will demonstrate the techniques for doing this.
You'll start with blockchain basics and explore various blockchain attacks on user wallets, and denial of service and pool mining attacks. Next, you'll learn cryptography concepts, consensus algorithms in blockchain security, and design principles while understanding and deploying security implementation guidelines. You'll not only cover architectural considerations, but also work on system and network security and operational configurations for your Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric network. You'll later implement security at each level of blockchain app development, understanding how to secure various phases of a blockchain app using an example-based approach. You'll gradually learn to securely implement and develop decentralized apps, and follow deployment best practices. Finally, you'll explore the architectural components of Hyperledger Fabric, and how they can be configured to build secure private blockchain networks.
By the end of this book, you'll have learned blockchain security concepts and techniques that you can implement in real blockchain production environments.
What you will learn
- Understand blockchain consensus algorithms and security assumptions
- Design secure distributed applications and smart contracts
- Understand how blockchains manage transactions and help to protect wallets and private keys
- Prevent potential security threats that can affect distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) and blockchains
- Use pentesting tools for assessing potential flaws in Dapps and smart contracts
- Assess privacy compliance issues and manage sensitive data with blockchain
Who this book is for
This book is for blockchain developers, security professionals, and Ethereum and Hyperledger developers who are looking to implement security in blockchain platforms and ensure secure data management using an example-driven approach. Basic knowledge of blockchain concepts will be beneficial.
Frequently asked questions
Information
Section 1: Blockchain Security Core Concepts
- Chapter 1, Introducing Blockchain Security and Attack Vectors
- Chapter 2, Cryptography Essentials
- Chapter 3, Blockchain Security Assumptions
Introducing Blockchain Security and Attack Vectors
- An introduction to blockchain
- The building blocks of blockchain
- Blockchain network topology
- Establishing trust through consensus algorithms
- Potential threats that affect trust
An introduction to blockchain
Blockchain as the Internet of Value
- Identity of counterparties in transactions
- Ownership of the rights of the transactions
- Guaranteeing the financial solvency of counterparties
Understanding the emergence of Bitcoin
- Conservation of currency value over time
- Protection against possible counterfeiting attempts
- A general acceptance of money as a means of payment
Blockchain use cases beyond Bitcoin
- The presence of a shared ledger within a peer-to-peer network.
- Value transactions are recorded in append-only mode within the ledger.
- The reliability and integrity of the transactions recorded within the ledger is guaranteed by the use of cryptography.
The role played by the distributed ledger
- How to ensure that this shared ledger is tamper-proof and that it is robust with respect to arbitrary changes
- How to guarantee an adequate degree of confidentiality to the subjects who carry out value transactions
- How to properly manage the size of the ledger, since each transaction must be registered in it
The building blocks of blockchain
- A block header, in which the link to the previous block is stored in the form of a hashing checksum digest. This is done to prevent the possibility of altering the transactions stored in the previous block.
- A block body, containing the list of transactions, complete with relevant information (including the amount transferred, the addresses of peers, and so on).