Distributed ledger is a record of consensus with a cryptographic audit trail maintained and validated by several separate nodes. It can be decentralized, granting equal rights to all participants, or centralized, designating certain users particular rights. Blockchain has a shared and replicated ledger comprised of information stored in “blocks” and sits below a distributed ledger. It acts as a way to verify transactions submitted by producing a new “block” to the chain. Proof-of-Work groups transactions into blocks and broadcasts it to unrelated parties. Therefore, blocks are not suitable for use in a trusted distributed ledger network between financial institutions.
In this case study, we are providing information about the Introduction of Blockchain Technology, Bitcoin and its environment setup, Ethereum coin, other cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin in education, and a case study of healthcare using blockchain.
Blockchain for Executives, Entrepreneurs and InvestorsFenbushi Capital
A brief summary of key issues that executives, entrepreneurs and investors across all industries should be aware of when considering blockchain.
First presented 8 June 2018 at the Longhash Incubator in Singapore.
Building Blockchain Projects on Enterprise Ethereum [Webinar] Kaleido
Enterprise blockchain has accelerated over the past year, with many projects launching into production. Backed by the largest ecosystem of blockchain developers and experts, leading global organizations are adopting Enterprise Ethereum to build, test and deploy decentralized applications to increase trust and transparency while unlocking new opportunities to create value across modern business networks. Learn how Enterprise Ethereum is well-suited for enterprise blockchain projects, and how Kaleido’s full-stack platform, PegaSys' production-grade Ethereum protocol and Microsoft’s tools and expertise help to unlock the full potential of Enterprise Ethereum based projects. Together, we’ll discuss how to enable rapid, easy and affordable deployment of enterprise blockchain solutions.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND TAKEAWAYS:
- How Ethereum supports enterprise blockchain projects.
- Convergence of Private and Public Blockchain
- Digital Transformation and Asset Tokenization for Enterprise
- Full-stack enterprise blockchain solutions
- Microsoft PoV on Enterprise Ethereum
- Protocols designed for enterprise.
- Customer adoption: Enterprise Ethereum in Production Networks
A guest lecture delivered by Dr Farrukh Habib at INCEIF, Kuala Lumpur, on 22nd March, 2018.
Dr Farrukh Habib is an expert in sharia and Islamic finance. He is a adviser, researcher and trainer. He is keen interest in FinTech.
Blockchain became a popular technology trend because of cryptocurrencies. But, this technology has its applications beyond the Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Advantages and disadvantages of permissionless blockchainBlockchain Council
Blockchain Technology surfaced with the surge of cryptocurrency. Today you may find every business, and all the big industries are talking about using Blockchain. They want to make it a part of their mainstream business operations. On the surface, we know that blockchain is a distributed ledger technology. It works on the principle of decentralisation and peer-to-peer transactions. It means that Blockchain culminates the need of having intermediaries. Thus it saves cost and time both. It is the prime reason that many of the financial institutions and businesses are trying to use Blockchain for their benefit.Check out the full article here >>
https://bit.ly/2zRdAyS
BLOCKCHAIN-BASED SMART CONTRACTS : A SYSTEMATIC MAPPING STUDY csandit
An appealing feature of blockchain technology is smart contracts. A smart contract is
executable code that runs on top of the blockchain to facilitate, execute and enforce an
agreement between untrusted parties without the involvement of a trusted third party. In this
paper, we conduct a systematic mapping study to collect all research that is relevant to smart
contracts from a technical perspective. The aim of doing so is to identify current research topics
and open challenges for future studies in smart contract research. We extract 24 papers from
different scientific databases. The results show that about two thirds of the papers focus on
identifying and tackling smart contract issues. Four key issues are identified, namely, codifying,
security, privacy and performance issues. The rest of the papers focuses on smart contract
applications or other smart contract related topics. Research gaps that need to be addressed in
future studies are provided.
Blockchain Primer - Founder Collective - December 2017Parul Singh
As 2017 comes to a close, blockchain is everywhere (or more accurately perhaps “bitcoin, bitcoin, bitcoin.”) here is a primer on blockchain that I prepared for my team at Founder Collective to help frame some of the exciting use cases we see coming down the pike. Further reading is on the last slide.
There is increasing interest in the potential impact of Blockchain globally, across the business world. Blockchain is transforming data storage, security, digital property management, transactions in a variety of forms, and much, much, more. And the impact will be felt across a number of industries, including manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, retail, logistics, and more.
We believe Blockchain presents a unique opportunity for enterprises to leverage a revolutionary new technology and redefine how they function. The Blockchain Landscape Report 2019 by [X]cubeLABS discusses everything Blockchain ranging from its history, mechanism, and industry-wide adoption to its future potential.
In this case study, we are providing information about the Introduction of Blockchain Technology, Bitcoin and its environment setup, Ethereum coin, other cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin in education, and a case study of healthcare using blockchain.
Blockchain for Executives, Entrepreneurs and InvestorsFenbushi Capital
A brief summary of key issues that executives, entrepreneurs and investors across all industries should be aware of when considering blockchain.
First presented 8 June 2018 at the Longhash Incubator in Singapore.
Building Blockchain Projects on Enterprise Ethereum [Webinar] Kaleido
Enterprise blockchain has accelerated over the past year, with many projects launching into production. Backed by the largest ecosystem of blockchain developers and experts, leading global organizations are adopting Enterprise Ethereum to build, test and deploy decentralized applications to increase trust and transparency while unlocking new opportunities to create value across modern business networks. Learn how Enterprise Ethereum is well-suited for enterprise blockchain projects, and how Kaleido’s full-stack platform, PegaSys' production-grade Ethereum protocol and Microsoft’s tools and expertise help to unlock the full potential of Enterprise Ethereum based projects. Together, we’ll discuss how to enable rapid, easy and affordable deployment of enterprise blockchain solutions.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND TAKEAWAYS:
- How Ethereum supports enterprise blockchain projects.
- Convergence of Private and Public Blockchain
- Digital Transformation and Asset Tokenization for Enterprise
- Full-stack enterprise blockchain solutions
- Microsoft PoV on Enterprise Ethereum
- Protocols designed for enterprise.
- Customer adoption: Enterprise Ethereum in Production Networks
A guest lecture delivered by Dr Farrukh Habib at INCEIF, Kuala Lumpur, on 22nd March, 2018.
Dr Farrukh Habib is an expert in sharia and Islamic finance. He is a adviser, researcher and trainer. He is keen interest in FinTech.
Blockchain became a popular technology trend because of cryptocurrencies. But, this technology has its applications beyond the Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Advantages and disadvantages of permissionless blockchainBlockchain Council
Blockchain Technology surfaced with the surge of cryptocurrency. Today you may find every business, and all the big industries are talking about using Blockchain. They want to make it a part of their mainstream business operations. On the surface, we know that blockchain is a distributed ledger technology. It works on the principle of decentralisation and peer-to-peer transactions. It means that Blockchain culminates the need of having intermediaries. Thus it saves cost and time both. It is the prime reason that many of the financial institutions and businesses are trying to use Blockchain for their benefit.Check out the full article here >>
https://bit.ly/2zRdAyS
BLOCKCHAIN-BASED SMART CONTRACTS : A SYSTEMATIC MAPPING STUDY csandit
An appealing feature of blockchain technology is smart contracts. A smart contract is
executable code that runs on top of the blockchain to facilitate, execute and enforce an
agreement between untrusted parties without the involvement of a trusted third party. In this
paper, we conduct a systematic mapping study to collect all research that is relevant to smart
contracts from a technical perspective. The aim of doing so is to identify current research topics
and open challenges for future studies in smart contract research. We extract 24 papers from
different scientific databases. The results show that about two thirds of the papers focus on
identifying and tackling smart contract issues. Four key issues are identified, namely, codifying,
security, privacy and performance issues. The rest of the papers focuses on smart contract
applications or other smart contract related topics. Research gaps that need to be addressed in
future studies are provided.
Blockchain Primer - Founder Collective - December 2017Parul Singh
As 2017 comes to a close, blockchain is everywhere (or more accurately perhaps “bitcoin, bitcoin, bitcoin.”) here is a primer on blockchain that I prepared for my team at Founder Collective to help frame some of the exciting use cases we see coming down the pike. Further reading is on the last slide.
There is increasing interest in the potential impact of Blockchain globally, across the business world. Blockchain is transforming data storage, security, digital property management, transactions in a variety of forms, and much, much, more. And the impact will be felt across a number of industries, including manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, retail, logistics, and more.
We believe Blockchain presents a unique opportunity for enterprises to leverage a revolutionary new technology and redefine how they function. The Blockchain Landscape Report 2019 by [X]cubeLABS discusses everything Blockchain ranging from its history, mechanism, and industry-wide adoption to its future potential.
Blockchain: The Invisible Technology – How We Build a BlockchainPriyAnshu Bansal
Blockchain isn’t a household buzzword, like the cloud or the Internet of Things. It’s not an in-your-face innovation you can see and touch as easily as a smartphone or a package from Amazon. But in a world where anyone can edit a Wikipedia entry, blockchain is the answer to a question we’ve been asking since … More Blockchain: The Invisible Technology – How We Build a Blockchain-Based World
Application of Blockchain Technologies in Digital ForensicsMahdi_Fahmideh
This lecture, from course CIS8708-Digital Forensics (Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations), discusses the role of blockchain technologies in digital forensics investigation
Deconstructing Decentralized Exchanges
by Lindsay X. Lin, Legal Counsel at Interstellar and Stellar Development Foundation
The goal of this Essay is to explain the architectural structure of decentralized exchanges, and the performance and security tradeoffs associated with various architectural choices.
Introduction to blockchain & cryptocurrenciesAurobindo Nayak
This was an intro session on blockchain and cryptocurrencies. If you want to view the webinar for this talk checkout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl5mVI7jEK0
Yao Yao, Jack Rasmus-Vorrath, Ivelin Angelov
https://github.com/yaowser/basic_blockchain
https://www.slideshare.net/YaoYao44/blockchain-security-and-demonstration/
Distributed ledger technology over a network of computers, which provides an alternative to the centralized system
Distributed Database
Peer-to-Peer Transmission
Transparency with Pseudonymity
Records are immutable
Computational Logic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ArZxRdhyPc
Vikram Andem Big Data Strategy @ IATA Technology Roadmap IT Strategy Group
Vikram Andem, Senior Manager, United Airlines, A case for Bigdata Program and Strategy @ IATA Technology Roadmap 2014, October 13th, 2014, Montréal, Canada
Vikram Andem, Senior Manager, United Airlines, Trusted Computing Group, RSA® Conference 2015. A model for effectively managing IT Security Risk Management
Vikram Andem, Senior Manager, United Airlines, A case for Blockchain Program and Strategy @ IATA Technology Roadmap 2019, October 18th, 2019, Montréal, Canada
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
Generating a custom Ruby SDK for your web service or Rails API using Smithyg2nightmarescribd
Have you ever wanted a Ruby client API to communicate with your web service? Smithy is a protocol-agnostic language for defining services and SDKs. Smithy Ruby is an implementation of Smithy that generates a Ruby SDK using a Smithy model. In this talk, we will explore Smithy and Smithy Ruby to learn how to generate custom feature-rich SDKs that can communicate with any web service, such as a Rails JSON API.
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 previewPrayukth K V
The IoT and OT threat landscape report has been prepared by the Threat Research Team at Sectrio using data from Sectrio, cyber threat intelligence farming facilities spread across over 85 cities around the world. In addition, Sectrio also runs AI-based advanced threat and payload engagement facilities that serve as sinks to attract and engage sophisticated threat actors, and newer malware including new variants and latent threats that are at an earlier stage of development.
The latest edition of the OT/ICS and IoT security Threat Landscape Report 2024 also covers:
State of global ICS asset and network exposure
Sectoral targets and attacks as well as the cost of ransom
Global APT activity, AI usage, actor and tactic profiles, and implications
Rise in volumes of AI-powered cyberattacks
Major cyber events in 2024
Malware and malicious payload trends
Cyberattack types and targets
Vulnerability exploit attempts on CVEs
Attacks on counties – USA
Expansion of bot farms – how, where, and why
In-depth analysis of the cyber threat landscape across North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East
Why are attacks on smart factories rising?
Cyber risk predictions
Axis of attacks – Europe
Systemic attacks in the Middle East
Download the full report from here:
https://sectrio.com/resources/ot-threat-landscape-reports/sectrio-releases-ot-ics-and-iot-security-threat-landscape-report-2024/
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Securing your Kubernetes cluster_ a step-by-step guide to success !KatiaHIMEUR1
Today, after several years of existence, an extremely active community and an ultra-dynamic ecosystem, Kubernetes has established itself as the de facto standard in container orchestration. Thanks to a wide range of managed services, it has never been so easy to set up a ready-to-use Kubernetes cluster.
However, this ease of use means that the subject of security in Kubernetes is often left for later, or even neglected. This exposes companies to significant risks.
In this talk, I'll show you step-by-step how to secure your Kubernetes cluster for greater peace of mind and reliability.
Kubernetes & AI - Beauty and the Beast !?! @KCD Istanbul 2024Tobias Schneck
As AI technology is pushing into IT I was wondering myself, as an “infrastructure container kubernetes guy”, how get this fancy AI technology get managed from an infrastructure operational view? Is it possible to apply our lovely cloud native principals as well? What benefit’s both technologies could bring to each other?
Let me take this questions and provide you a short journey through existing deployment models and use cases for AI software. On practical examples, we discuss what cloud/on-premise strategy we may need for applying it to our own infrastructure to get it to work from an enterprise perspective. I want to give an overview about infrastructure requirements and technologies, what could be beneficial or limiting your AI use cases in an enterprise environment. An interactive Demo will give you some insides, what approaches I got already working for real.
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
2. For more Blockchain Byte posts, R3 members visit:
https://r3-cev.atlassian.net/wiki/x/HgEwAw
What is the distinction
between a blockchain
and a distributed
ledger?
While often used interchangeably, a blockchain and a
distributed ledger are distinct – though subtly different –
technologies.
A distributed ledger is a record of consensus with a
cryptographic audit trail which is maintained and
validated by several separate nodes*. This
cryptographically assured and synchronized data can be
spread across multiple institutions. Distributed ledgers can
be either decentralized, granting equal rights within the
protocol to all participants or centralized, designating
certain users particular rights. Actors typically employ
distributed ledgers when they need a tool which permits
the concurrent editing of a shared state while maintaining
its unicity. The ledger’s state is determined through a
consensus algorithm, which can vary in its mechanics but
ultimately serves to validate information from inputs to the
network.
Blockchain has a
shared and replicated
ledger comprised of
information stored in
“blocks” and sits below
a distributed ledger
and acts as a way to
verify transactions
submitted by
producing a new
“block” to the chain.
Distributed ledger is a
record of consensus
with cryptographic
audit trail maintained
and validated by
nodes. It can be
decentralized or
centralized.
2
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Often described as the technology that
underpins the Bitcoin network, a
blockchain data structure has a shared,
replicated ledger comprised of digitally
recorded and unchangeable data in
packages called blocks. A blockchain sits
below a distributed ledger and acts as a
way to order and validate the transactions
in the ledger. While a blockchain
automatically produces a new “block”
after certain predetermined criteria is met,
a distributed ledger only verifies a
transaction once it is submitted, as
opposed to pushing out empty blocks. A
blockchain is a way to implement a
distributed ledger, but not all distributed
ledgers necessarily employ blockchains.
*In a distributed ledger, it is not necessarily
the case that all nodes either receive all
the information or, if they do, can
understand it. In the Ethereum model, for
example, all nodes receive and
understand all the information. In Corda,
only the nodes involved are aware that a
transaction exists.
What are Blocks and Why Aren’t They Necessary?
3
4. For more Blockchain Byte posts, R3 members visit:
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What are Blocks and
Why Aren’t They
Necessary?
A block structure allows for global broadcast of data and
large amounts of unrelated transactions to be confirmed
at once. While blocks make sense for public blockchain
systems like Bitcoin, this logic does not apply to trusted
distributed ledger networks used within financial
institutions, like Corda.
A “block” is a bundle of transaction data*. Most closely
associated with Bitcoin, a blockchain structure connects
blocks such that each block includes the hash value of the
previous block, thereby forming a chain of valid
transactions.
“Miners” create new blocks by validating transactions
through a Proof of Work (PoW) exercise. This PoW exercise
allows anyone (without permission) to create valid blocks if
they can expend the required computing power
(calculating hashes). This resource-intensive process also
creates a financial barrier to deter malicious actors from
adding fraudulent blocks.
Proof-of-Work groups
transactions into
blocks and broadcasts
it to unrelated parties.
Therefore, blocks are
not suitable for use in a
trusted distributed
ledger network
between financial
institutions.
2
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This PoW system deliberately takes time
both to prevent arbitrary coin generation
(which would lead to hyperinflation of the
currency) and to prevent too many
solutions at a given time (once a miner
finds a solution, it must propagate around
the network, which takes time and may
lead to collisions and forks). In Bitcoin, this
interval is an average of 10 minutes. To
accommodate for this delay, transactions
must be batched together and confirmed
in blocks.
In trusted, private distributed ledger
networks, PoW and global broadcast of
transactions are not necessary - it does not
make sense to group unrelated
transactions into blocks that are then
shared with many, unrelated parties. Those
private blockchain systems that do use
blocks most likely use the Bitcoin structure
without considering why Bitcoin works the
way it does.
Corda is different. Recognizing that the
block structure is a flawed design decision
for financial services, R3 deliberately chose
not to use blocks for Corda and its
financial services clients
What are Blocks and Why Aren’t They Necessary?
3
6. For more Blockchain Byte posts, R3 members visit:
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What is the difference
between a centralized
and decentralized
blockchain?
A blockchain can be either centralized or decentralized. It
is important, however, that decentralized not be confused
with distributed. While a blockchain is inherently distributed
(meaning that many parties hold copies of the ledger), it is
not inherently decentralized.
Whether a blockchain is centralized or decentralized
simply refers to the rights of participants on the ledger, and
is therefore a question of design.
In a decentralized network, anyone can participate and
transact on the ledger. As a result, mechanisms must exist
in order to combat the vulnerabilities that arise from this
design and to ensure that transactions are correct. Bitcoin,
for example, is a decentralized blockchain that uses
mining and proof-of-work* to maintain the integrity of the
ledger and to prevent people from corrupting the system.
A centralized network, on the other hand, is made up of
parties whose identities are known. Thus, the system is valid
because only credible and reputable participants can
post to the ledger. Because participants’ identities are
known, their transactions can therefore be audited.
In a decentralized
network, anyone can
transact on the ledger.
Bitcoin’s network uses
mining and proof-of-
work to maintain the
integrity of the ledger.
In a centralized
network, only known
and identified parties
can transact on the
ledger. Therefore, their
transactions can be
audited.
2
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Ultimately, a centralized distributed ledger
should be used in any highly regulated
industry - such as financial services - to
minimize vulnerability. While both
decentralized and centralized blockchains
have respective risks, a centralized network
is much preferred for our purposes in that
the identity of participants is known and, as
a result, an audit trail exists should an actor
attempt to corrupt the system. It is
preferable, for example, to fine a known
entity that entered an invalid transaction
rather than attempt to account for every
possible manipulation that could
potentially occur in an anonymous,
decentralized network.
*Proof-of-work: a function to deter denial
of service attacks and other potential
spam on a network by requiring some level
of work that is usually costly and time-
consuming. In the Bitcoin network, miners
must complete a proof-of-work in order to
regulate the rate at which new blocks are
generated.
What is the difference between a centralized and decentralized blockchain?
3
8. For more Blockchain Byte posts, R3 members visit:
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What is Central Bank
Digital Currency?
The concept of digital currency precedes distributed
ledger technology. It began as a way to distinguish
between Internet versions of digital money (i.e. DigiCash,
eCash) and electronic cash that existed on physical
platforms (i.e. Chipknip and Mondex) and grew more
complex with the advent of web platforms that provided
access to accounting (i.e. Paypal). These examples are all
private market currency solutions that do not involve a
central bank.
Though the concept of a Central Bank Digital Currency
(CBDC) remains largely theoretical, the evolution of new
technologies such as DLT is increasing the feasibility of
putting a CBDC into practice. At a high level, a CBDC is a
digital store of value (money) and method of exchange
issued by a central bank. Theoretically, a CBDC introduces
a new digital mechanism for real-time settlement between
individuals.
Central Bank Digital
Currency is a digitally
stored currency that
theoretically can
achieve real time
settlement for
individuals and banks.
CBDCs are intended
to be issued by the
central bank and able
to exchange for fiat
currency. It can also
be an alternative to
current market
currency.
2
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CBDCs are intended to be 1:1
exchangeable with other forms of money
(such as notes, coins and deposits at
banks). They may be issued in an alternate
form exchangeable for fiat currency that is
held on deposit by a central bank and
payable on demand to the owner. CBDCs
can also be issued as a new form of
money supply in addition to traditional
central bank money issuance.
One of the main purposes of a CBDC is to
broaden access to central bank liabilities
(such as notes and coins) in digital form,
thus increasing the ease and convenience
required to hold and pay these liabilities. In
addition to broadening this access, a
CBDC system must also be designed to be
practically functional (for example, it
cannot only be accessible through
proprietary networks such as SWIFT or
Fedwire).
What is Central Bank Digital Currency?
3
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What is a Digital
Signature?
A digital signature is a method to verify the authenticity
and integrity of a digital message.
Digital signatures employ asymmetric (public key)
cryptography, a cryptographic system that uses a pair of
keys – a public key, which may be shared widely and a
private key, which is known only to the owner – to encrypt
and decrypt messages.
A digital signature ensures the authentication and integrity
of data. Authentication of data refers to the verification of
the source of the data, meaning that the message was
indeed sent by the person or entity who claims to be the
sender. This is ensured because the digital signature uses a
private key that is known only to one specific user.
The integrity of data refers to the content of the message
itself, meaning that the message was not altered in transit.
A digital signature ensures this because, if a message is
digitally signed, any change in the message after it has
been signed invalidates the signature.
A digital signature also provides non-repudiation, meaning
that the signer cannot later claim that he/she did not sign
the message.
Digital signature
authenticates the
integrity of data by
using asymmetric
cryptography.
Digital signature is
nearly impossible to
counterfeit without
access to the sender’s
private key.
2
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A digital signature is created by encrypting
the hash of a document using the private
key. A recipient can use the public key to
decrypt the signature and ensure that the
result indeed matches the hash of the
document. If a document changes after
signing, the digital signature is invalidated
because the document's hash will not
match the decrypted signature.
Unlike a handwritten signature, a digital
signature is nearly impossible to counterfeit.
A fraudulent party cannot fake a valid
signature without access to the secret,
private key, held only by the sender.
Furthermore, unlike a handwritten sign-
ature, a digital signature not only verifies
the identity of the signer but also validates
the contents of the message itself.
What is a Digital Signature?
3
12. For more Blockchain Byte posts, R3 members visit:
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What is a Golden
Copy?
A golden copy – or golden record – typically serves as the
official, master version of a record of data. It is an
authoritative single source, sometimes referred to as the
“single version of the truth”, where “truth” is understood as
that which users can ensure is the single correct piece of
information which can then be actioned upon.
What constitutes a golden copy varies based on the
particular use of that data. For example, a passport or
social security number may constitute a golden copy in
the case of customer KYC information, while a driver’s
license can be thought of as golden copy of a form of
identity at the DMV.
For financial institutions, there is a reliance on a single
source of data that is untainted, “true” and represents
something that is actionable. In trading, for example, this
means that the initial booking of a trade and agreement
of the attributes of that trade between counter parties
forms a representation that can be used for some action.
A golden copy is a
master version of a
record of data and
referred to as the the
“truth” that users can
be sure that it is true.
In order to make
changes to the “truth”,
changes must be
validated by
participants that has
the power to make
and validate.
2
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In other words, the initial construct of a
golden copy consists of the data attributes
(of a trade contract information that is
both common like reference data and
counter party specific, like a trader ID) that
define the data and confirmation/vali-
dation that makes this golden copy
reliable and, ultimately, actionable.
While existing processes - like reconciliation
- currently carry out this validation process
in a bank, distributed ledger technology
(DLT) may ultimately be able to carry out
these actions far more efficiently. DLT
enhances the notion of a golden copy in
that it enables a group of participants to
confirm that data is true, lowering the cost
of reconciliation and relieving the burden
of having a single institution validate or act
as a golden copy. DLT allows for multiple,
distributed confirmations, strengthening
the claim of factuality.
A golden copy is considered the original,
incepting transaction – any amendments
or changes to the data must be confirmed
and validated by participants in the
distributed ledger network that have the
authority to make and validate those
changes. In this sense, a golden copy is a
living piece of data that is continuously
validated.
What is a Golden Copy?
3
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What is Immutability?
Immutability is a frequently used buzzword when discussing
blockchain and distributed ledger technology, and the
perception of a blockchain as a permanent record of
information is one of the greatest benefits of the
technology.
The term “immutability” refers to a state that cannot be
changed or modified after it has been created. (On the
other hand, a ‘mutable’ object can be changed after it is
created.) As it pertains to blockchain technology,
immutability implies that data written to a blockchain
cannot be edited, even by a system administrator. This is
beneficial, especially in financial transactions, in that one
can be sure that sent and received data and transactions
cannot be altered.
For Bitcoin, immutability of transactional information is
achieved through the process of creating a hash itself,
which is one-way. Additionally, the process of hashing
bundles transaction outputs into blocks which contain the
hash of the previous block, thus ensuring consistency of
data and that previous blocks have not been altered
without compromising the entire blockchain and revealing
that this change has occurred.
Immutability implies
that data cannot be
edited or deleted by
participants or system
administrator after it is
written to the ledger.
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While immutability is often discussed as an
absolute, innate feature of a blockchain –
and one of its greatest strengths – many
claims of immutability are over-
exaggerated and not entirely accurate.
Immutability is not an absolute quality, but
a relative quality. "Immutability” does not
necessarily mean that data cannot be
changed; rather, it is a measure of the
difficulty required to change data on a
blockchain. Additionally, any alteration
can often be detected fairly easily,
ensuring the blockchain’s integrity.
The difficulty to change a data entry on a
private blockchain depends on the level of
buy-in needed from participants to sign a
new replacement block (for example, the
number of digital signatures necessary to
sign this replacement). The more buy-in
necessary to make a change, the greater
the “immutability” of the blockchain.
Even if changing original blockchain data
is possible with necessary effort, it is
preferable to instead produce a new line
with this edited information that refers
back to the original block. As it pertains to
the financial services industry, regulators
prefer this design principle as it ensures an
audit trail for reference.
What is Immutability?
3
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What is an Oracle?
An oracle is an external source of data to a distributed
ledger which is considered to be authoritative, trusted and
definitive. What makes an oracle unique (compared to a
smart contract, for example) is this ability to derive
information from sources external to the ledger that it
supports.
An oracle is necessary once a smart contract is written to
interact with external data. One example is a bet on the
Super Bowl, where one party picks one team, one party
picks another, and an oracle determines the winner from
ESPN and pushes that data to a smart contract to carry
out the transaction. Similarly, within financial institutions,
external data is often necessary in transactions – for
example, to verify that a loan has reached maturity, one
must gain knowledge about the current time.
Oracles bring in
trustworthy external
data to a distributed
ledger, which is
necessary if a smart
contract needs to
interact with external
data.
Information are
digitally signed in the
transaction and are
non-repudiable.
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An oracle attests to the validity of data by
digitally signing facts within transactions as
well as the state resulting from the
transaction. A signed message from an
oracle indicates proof of an event and
can then be used as an input into a
transaction and distributed within the
transaction data itself. Once signed, an
oracle cannot later “change its mind” and
invalidate transactions that were previously
found to be valid (allowing an oracle to
change its mind would result in a loss of
consensus, undermining the integrity of the
system).
There are similarities between oracles and
smart contracts and, in fact, they work
together to carry out transactions that
require data from the outside world;
however, there are key differences as well.
While the integrity of a smart contract
depends on it being contained within the
ledger itself, an oracle is independent of
the entities on the ledger it interacts with
and can access data outside of the
ledger. Additionally, an oracle does not
contain legal agreements nor can it
change the state of agreements on the
ledger as a smart contract does.
Once the integrity of a transaction is
exposed to a third party, it creates
significant vulnerabilities. Within “per-
missioned” or known-participant systems,
trust can be relied upon and fraud and
malicious attacks are much easier to
monitor and police. In a permissionless
system, on the other hand, the use of
oracles is more problematic as trust may
be more difficult to establish.
What is an Oracle?
3
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What is Provenance?
The term provenance is very broad and used in many
different domains including food, manufacturing, business
data, art and more. At a high level, provenance refers to
the sources and processes that produce a resource, piece
of information, or piece of data.
For example, food provenance refers to the origin of the
ingredients we purchase and eat to ensure food quality
and safety. Similarly, manufacturers must understand past
processes in order to ensure traceability, essential to
minimize and discover inefficiencies, waste and excess
cost.
The provenance of information is essential to determine
whether a piece of data is trusted and authentic*.
However, while provenance is often conflated with trust,
these terms are not the same (trust is derived from
provenance, but is a subjective judgement).
In cryptography, provenance provides the linkage and
optics to determine where something came from. As such,
distributed ledger technology can be used in order to
determine the provenance of an asset, which can
determine history of ownership.
Provenance refers to
sources/processes that
produce
information/data.
Provenance in
Distributed Ledger
Technology can be
used to track the
history of the asset’s
ownership.
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A distributed ledger could potentially help
act like an added financial control, since
(in theory) you would need to compromise
some subsection of the network to change
the historical record (though even then the
original cryptographic signature stays the
same for each individual transaction).
Instead of consulting multiple systems to
see if something has been rehypo-
thecated, DLT would allow one to consult
a single logical layer to determine the
provenance of an asset and if it has
changed ownership in the past.
Some startups in the space are currently
attempting to create “provenance
assurances” using distributed ledger
technology in order to track the
provenance of certain goods. This could
potentially be applied more broadly to
high value or luxury goods, for example,
whose provenance would otherwise be
based on paper receipts that could be
tampered with or altered.
What is Provenance?
3
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What is a Smart
Contract?
The term “smart contract” is used often when discussing
distributed ledger technology; however, its definition tends
to be broad, unclear and often controversial.
The term “smart contract” itself can be misleading, as the
notion of “smartness” and the extent to which something is
truly a “contract” is questionable in many instances. Smart
contracts have become so closely associated with
distributed ledger technology and referred to so often,
that in many cases the meaning has strayed from its
original intent and has been generalized to the point of
inaccuracy.
The phrase and concept of a smart contract was originally
developed in 1994 by Nick Szabo, a legal scholar,
computer scientist and cryptographer. Szabo’s
background reveals the original intent and requirements
of a true smart contract: a confluence of both legal and
computer code. In fact, Szabo’s entire methodology is
centered around the improvement of contract law and
practice through electronic protocols.
Smart contract is a
agreement whereby
execution is both
automated and
enforceable and runs
on a distributed
ledger.
Smart contracts can
be used to handle
common contractual
conditions, removing
the need for
intermediaries.
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It is critical to distinguish between the
technically accurate concept of a “smart
contract” and today’s buzzword. There are
often situations where a simple piece of
code is claimed to be a smart contract
when, in reality, it is neither “smart” nor
technically a “contract”. A smart contract
is not simply any piece of self-executing
computer code, but is rather an
agreement whose execution is both
automated and enforceable.
A smart contract is automated in the sense
that the core business terms (the actual
“transaction” among parties) is expressed
through, and independently executed by,
computer code and which no party can
block or otherwise tamper with. It is
enforceable in the sense that it constitutes
legally binding rights and obligations of the
involved parties.
Currently, most smart contracts consist of a
combination of both computer code – a
programmable transaction protocol that
defines the business terms of the contract –
and legal prose that reflects that the
computer code constitutes part of the
binding legal agreement between the
parties, and is therefore also legally
binding.
Smart contracts are critical aspects of
distributed ledger technology for financial
institutions. They allow parties involved in
an agreement to conclude with certainty
that they are in consensus at all times as to
the existence, nature and evolution of the
facts shared among them, which are
governed by the program. Additionally,
they can be used to satisfy common
contractual conditions, lower transaction
costs and risk, and eliminate the need for
trusted intermediaries.
What is a Smart Contract?
3
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What is a State
Object?
A state object is a digital document that represents and
completely captures all relevant information about an
agreement shared between parties, including its
existence, content and current state.
More broadly, states can be thought of as referring to a
fact at a point in time (for example, a cash state or an
identity state). In Corda, states usually represent an
obligation between parties. For example, a state object
could represent a $100 obligation issued by a bank, an
interest rate swap, or a zero coupon bond. The Corda
Vault maintains the current position of state objects upon
which two firms have agreed upon. In Corda, a state
object is intended to be shared only with those who have
a legitimate reason to see it.
A state object references (in the form of hashes) both the
contract code and legal prose contained by an
agreement). States are established and can only be
changed by accepted transactions, which are governed
by the rules of the contract code.
A state object
captures relevant
information about an
agreement shared
between parties.
State object
references both
contract code and
legal prose contained
by an agreement.
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Digitally signed transactions consume zero
or more states and create zero or more
new states (see UTXO model)*. Some
transactions dictate that a new state be
created while other transactions cause
current states to evolve into new states.
Potential new states may be proposed by
parties to an agreement, but a “consensus
state” is only reached once all parties to
the agreement achieve consensus.
*A state object is either current
(considered a live obligation) or historic
(considered no longer valid). Note that
these terms are also sometimes referred to
as unspent/unconsumed or spent /consu-
med.
What is a State Object?
3
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What is Tokenization?
Tokenization is the process of referencing an asset with a
“token” so that it may be more easily and quickly
exchanged, or so that an existing asset may be
subdivided into smaller units of value*.
Moving from Possession to Registry
Tokenization within the scope of distributed ledger
technology is essentially the process of moving the registry
of ownership of an asset onto a distributed ledger or a
blockchain. Once an asset is on a ledger, the process of
ownership exchange is simplified as an edit to the ledger
that occurs on a separate cycle, ideally increasing the
efficiency and velocity of settlement and potentially
reducing operational risk at the same time. The
mechanical settlement of an asset off-ledger may take
several days, or involve the physical transfer of a large or
less-liquid asset, while the transfer of the tokenized asset
may occur instantaneously (or within whatever cycle is
determined by the controller of the ledger, which may be
centralized or decentralized).
Tokenization is the
process of referencing
an asset with a
“token” so that it may
be more easily and
quickly exchanged, or
so that an existing
asset may be
subdivided into smaller
units of value.
Tokenization within the
scope of distributed
ledger technology is
the process of moving
the registry of
ownership of an asset
onto a distributed
ledger.
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Tokenization may use a third party that
holds the asset, though it does not have to
depend on a trusted third party. A swap,
for example, can be tokenized between
two parties that trust one another. The third
party may add value to the system by
removing counterparty risk, though it may
also introduce both default and fraud risk.
The “token” itself has no extrinsic value – it
is not a real representation of an asset on a
ledger but is rather a derivative of an asset
– an agreement to transfer title or rights
(and in some cases, obligations) to the
underlying asset. The owner of a token
does not store a token on a computer;
rather, the owner stores the keys that let
him create a new entry on the ledger and
reassign ownership to someone else.
Tokens may be intrinsic (built-in) to a
blockchain or asset-backed (issued by a
party onto a blockchain). Intrinsic tokens
are fundamental to the blockchain of
which they are a part, and are usually an
incentive/reward to validate transactions
or create blocks (BTC on the Bitcoin
blockchain, XRP on the Ripple network, ETH
on Ethereum).
Asset-Backed Tokens: Digital Represen-
tations of Title Over Physical Objects
Asset-backed tokens represent ownership
of an underlying asset. A non-digital
example of this is bullion depository
certificates, which represent the ownership
of gold bullion or coins. These certificates
act as proof of ownership for the physical
gold and are then able to be passed, like
cash, which is much easier and more
efficient than moving physical gold. Asset-
backed tokens are a digital equivalent of
this bullion depository certificates example.
These tokens are passed between parties
and these transactions are recorded on a
blockchain. An issuer is required to receive
a token in exchange for the underlying
asset.
The movement of asset-backed tokens
must accurately represent the state of the
underlying asset. In order to accurately
track a tokenized asset that originates off-
ledger (for example, a car), the physical
asset must be tagged with a unique
identification method that is associated
with the corresponding location or hash
on-ledger.
A car is already associated with a unique,
tamper-proof ID – a VIN number – that in
turn can be associated with the on-ledger
hash. If the asset isn’t already easily
associated with a unique ID, this
identification method may be a physical
secure device that ties back to this unique
hash on ledger**.
What is Tokenization?
3
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*Another benefit and use of tokenization is
to subdivide an existing asset into smaller
units of value. In this case, tokenization
allows for the association of a single large
value asset (such as a cargo ship or
aircraft) with a larger number of tokens,
each representing fractional ownership of
the original asset. An existing example of
this would be a Real Estate Investment Trust
(REIT), which subdivides large scale real
estate investment into shares and allows a
wider range of investors access this
sector.
**Such methods include a secure tag,
digital locking and artificial DNA. This is an
emerging field which offers the promise of
multiple, indelible or tamper-proof
methods of associating a physical object
with its representation on the ledger.
Note: Colored coins are problematic as a
tokenization method because the lack of
standards means you risk the loss of the
meaning of the “color” between wallets,
and thus risk losing the associated data
about the tokenized assets.
What is Tokenization?
4
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What is a UTXO?
A UTXO is an unspent transaction output. In an accepted
transaction in a valid blockchain payment system (such as
Bitcoin), only unspent outputs can be used as inputs to a
transaction. When a transaction takes place, inputs are
deleted and outputs are created as new UTXOs that may
then be consumed in future transactions.
In the Bitcoin network, which uses this model, a UTXO is the
amount that is transferred to a Bitcoin address (along with
information required to unlock the output amount*) during
a transaction. Received amounts (UTXOs) are used
individually during a transaction and new outputs are
created – one for the receiver and, if applicable, one for
the amount that is left over (change output). The amount
sent to the recipient becomes a new UTXO in the
recipient’s address while the change output becomes a
new UTXO in the sender’s address that may be used in a
future transaction.
Unspent outputs can
be used as inputs to a
transaction. Inputs will
then be converted to
outputs as new UTXO
that can be spent in
future transactions.
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Corda uses a UTXO model – an entry is
either historic (sometimes referred to as
"spent" or "consumed") or current
(sometimes referred to as "unspent" or
"unconsumed"), but it cannot be changed.
Corda assumes that data being processed
represents financial agreements between
identifiable parties and that these
institutions require a significant number of
such agreements to be managed by the
platform. Therefore, Corda must be able to
support parallel execution, while also
ensuring correct transaction ordering when
two transactions seek to act on the same
piece of shared state. A UTXO model
provides this, allowing transactions to be
processed independently and in parallel,
even for high traffic legal entities.
What is a UTXO?
3