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Darpa Contract Awarded to Verify Blockchain-Based Integrity Monitoring System

guardti.me

11–20 of 58 posts

Re: Darpa Contract Awarded to Verify Blockchain-Based Integrity Monitoring System

#11
post #9

Guardtime is set of tooling around a FIPS 140 timestamping appliance. Systems on the network submit hashes of their logs to the time stamping. Assuming the appliance remains secure, you can go back in the event of compromise and prove that your logs are unaltered up to a certain point. It's amazing that they seem to have built a $50 -$100 million dollar business here.

>> "Assuming the appliance remains secure"

Makes me wonder what mathematics would prove this, or if it's assumed to be out of scope, and if so, what else is out of scope too.

Re: Darpa Contract Awarded to Verify Blockchain-Based Integrity Monitoring System

#12
post #9

Guardtime is set of tooling around a FIPS 140 timestamping appliance. Systems on the network submit hashes of their logs to the time stamping. Assuming the appliance remains secure, you can go back in the event of compromise and prove that your logs are unaltered up to a certain point. It's amazing that they seem to have built a $50 -$100 million dollar business here.

[deleted]

Re: Darpa Contract Awarded to Verify Blockchain-Based Integrity Monitoring System

#13
post #11
post #9

Guardtime is set of tooling around a FIPS 140 timestamping appliance. Systems on the network submit hashes of their logs to the time stamping. Assuming the appliance remains secure, you can go back in the event of compromise and prove that your logs are unaltered up to a certain point. It's amazing that they seem to have built a $50 -$100 million dollar business here.

>> "Assuming the appliance remains secure" Makes me wonder what mathematics would prove this, or if it's assumed to be out of scope, and if so, what else is out of scope too.

The article mentioned that the project includes formal verification. From a moment scanning Galois' web page: https://galois.com/research-development/software-correctness...

Re: Darpa Contract Awarded to Verify Blockchain-Based Integrity Monitoring System

#15
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is blockchain 'important' to Darpa? Because you are rooting for bitcoin or for some other non-specific to you reason? edit: Updated question to be more clear of intention

The blockchain is critical current & future technology, it's future is independent of Bitcoin's future. Bitcoin is the first implementation of a blockchain system, but it's a technology, not Bitcoin. All major log systems will be based on it; governments, banks, military, voting systems, etc. Highly suggest reading the Wikipedia entry on Blockchain to learn more and think about how you might use it too: https://en.m.…

I am versed on the blockchain. My question was not regarding its merits or usages. My question was on your phrasing of importance and how blockchain would be considered important to Darpa.

Do they have publicly known projects where they intend to use it? The funding itself shows they find it valuable or at least are curious enough to spend but for what reason?

Re: Darpa Contract Awarded to Verify Blockchain-Based Integrity Monitoring System

#16
post #7
post #6

As far as I can tell from the article, they are using the same kind of technology which prevents people from falsifying their account balance on Bitcoin to prevent intruders from covering their tracks in a secure computer system.

Specifically, it's a Merkle tree. From what I can tell they're not using anything else relating to "blockchains".

The signature for your data that has been signed is a chain of hashes which is used to calculate back to the merkle root.

Wikipedia defintion of blockchain[1]

> A blockchain consists of blocks that hold batches of valid transactions. Each block includes the hash of the prior block in the blockchain, linking the two. The linked blocks form a chain

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain_(database)

Re: Darpa Contract Awarded to Verify Blockchain-Based Integrity Monitoring System

#18
post #2

With something as important as blockchain verification, you would think DARPA would stop investing in private intellectual property.

Why is blockchain 'important' to Darpa? Because you are rooting for bitcoin or for some other non-specific to you reason? edit: Updated question to be more clear of intention

There are reasons that this an interesting technology other than simply rooting bitcoin.

For example, consider the challenge of monitoring strategic weapon treaties or nuclear proliferation agreements. Agencies can leave monitoring video cameras at locations and would like to insure that there is no way for one party to modify the captured data.

Re: Darpa Contract Awarded to Verify Blockchain-Based Integrity Monitoring System

#19
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is blockchain 'important' to Darpa? Because you are rooting for bitcoin or for some other non-specific to you reason? edit: Updated question to be more clear of intention

The blockchain is critical current & future technology, it's future is independent of Bitcoin's future. Bitcoin is the first implementation of a blockchain system, but it's a technology, not Bitcoin. All major log systems will be based on it; governments, banks, military, voting systems, etc. Highly suggest reading the Wikipedia entry on Blockchain to learn more and think about how you might use it too: https://en.m.…

I'm a blockchain blockhead. Any more suggested reading?

Really basic like a) how will my debit card debit my money buying DD coffee?

If I create another book can I "get blockchain" (so to speak) to protect my work? Thus, I will need to make the right choice to be covered under a blockchain or not?

At 50000 ft I get the significance I think. I just cant even come close to explaining it.

Re: Darpa Contract Awarded to Verify Blockchain-Based Integrity Monitoring System

#20
post #16
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Specifically, it's a Merkle tree. From what I can tell they're not using anything else relating to "blockchains".

The signature for your data that has been signed is a chain of hashes which is used to calculate back to the merkle root. Wikipedia defintion of blockchain[1] > A blockchain consists of blocks that hold batches of valid transactions. Each block includes the hash of the prior block in the blockchain, linking the two. The linked blocks form a chain [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain_(database)

The very next paragraph describes blockchain databases as peer-to-peer protocols with some form of scoring algorithm to decide which blocks are part of the chain.
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