Text originally published by Samuel Gichichi on the Cyber Secure Central Forums.

2018 was a problematic years security-wise. Universities, governments, and other big enterprises were all victims of different attacks and breaches. Most corporate heads and board members outlined technology acquisitions and cybersecurity as their top priorities in 2019. Among the commonly considered considered options are blockchain-based solutions. And just among corporate heads.

NASA has decided to use blockchain technology as a way of enhancing security and minimizing denial of service and other different traffic service attacks. This will be done by implementing a distributed ledger technology majorly used in bitcoin and other renowned cryptocurrencies.

Although blockchain is emerging as a realistic technology in protecting businesses from cybercriminals, there is still a long way to go. The following are promising use cases of blockchain technology:

Safer DNS

Hackers can infiltrate a connection between a website name and IP address and cause a lot of harm because DNS is highly centralized. Attackers can redirect users to rogue websites, cash websites or make a particular site unavailable. They can also incorporate DNS attacks with Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks to make websites completely unusable for prolonged periods. This challenge can be solved by using tail log files and through enabling real-time alerts for any unfamiliar activities.

A blockchain security system can elevate the security level since its centralized meaning attackers will find it difficult to find a single point of vulnerability. Information about your domain can be stored immutably in a distributed ledger and have connections powered by immutable smart contracts.

Decentralized storage solutions

The value of data is increasing by day since organizations are continually accumulating critical information about their customers. The gathered information attracts attackers since it is stored in one place. This can be compared to storing your expensive jewelry and all your cash in the same bag at home then getting shocked when a thief walks away with everything.

While there are many dangers associated with the vice, businesses are still storing their data in a centralized setup. This, however, seems to be changing with some organizations by adopting blockchain-based storage of data. For example, the Apollo data cloud which is developed by Apollo Currency team allows users to archive data on the blockchain and then give access permissions to third parties. You can revoke the cryptography access key at any time, minimizing the risk of breach. Due to the decentralized nature of blockchain, attackers do not have a single point of entry. Consequently, they cannot access the whole data repository in case they gain entry. This is one of the features making businesses to consider blockchain as a primary measure towards data privacy.

Security in private messaging

Conversational commerce is becoming famous since a lot of metadata is collected from customers as they exchange information on social media. Many messaging systems use end-to-end encryption to keep their communication secure. However, the use of blockchain to secure data is on the rise.

Currently, many messaging applications do not have a set standard of security protocols and a standardized API framework for enabling cross-messenger communications. Blockchain communication ecosystem comes to solve this issue by creating a system of unified communication. Blockchain acts as a great solution since it secures all data exchanges and enables seamless connectivity across various messaging platforms.

IoT security

Attackers gain access to systems by exploiting vulnerabilities in end devices. These gadgets can be switches or routers. Unlike before, other devices like doorbells, thermostats, and security cameras have increased the rate of vulnerability. These devices are not checked for security measures when they are introduced to the system.

Blockchain can give these devices sufficient smarts to enable them make independent security decisions without relying on centralized authority. For example, the devices can form a group consensus concerning the regular occurrences in a network, and block any nodes that behave differently.

This technology can be used to protect all the exchange of data between the IoT devices. It can also be used to achieve real-time secure data transmissions and give prompt communications between devices which are geographically separated. Also, blockchain security means there is no centralized authority in control of the network to verify the data going through it which makes it hard for hackers to orchestrate an attack.

Regardless of how blockchain is applied, the primary factor of its use in cybersecurity is decentralization. When network traffic, access control, and data is not stored in a commonplace, it becomes harder for attackers to tamper with information integrity. This technology gives more security and lower chances of an attack.

Disclaimer

The content of this article does not reflect the official opinion of Cyber Secure Central. Responsibility for the information and views expressed in the article lies entirely with the author(s).