Search Results (53)

Integrating blockchain into healthcare devices offers the potential for improved data control but faces significant usability and acceptance challenges. This study addresses this gap by evaluating CipherPal, an improved blockchain-enabled Smart Fidget Toy prototype, using a multi-framework approach to understand the interplay between technology, design, and user experience. We synthesized insights from three complementary frameworks: an expert review assessing adherence to Web3 Design Guidelines, a User Acceptance Toolkit assessment with professionals based on UTAUT2, and an extended three-day user testing study. The findings revealed that users valued CipherPal’s satisfying tactile interaction and perceived benefits for well-being, such as stress relief. However, significant usability barriers emerged, primarily related to challenging device–application connectivity and data synchronization. The multi-framework approach proved valuable in revealing these core tensions. While the device was conceptually accepted, the blockchain integration added significant interaction friction that overshadowed its potential benefits during the study. This research underscores the critical need for user-centered design in health-related blockchain applications, emphasizing that seamless usability and abstracting technical complexity are paramount for adoption. Full article

The Blockchain-based Decentralized Identity Management System (BDIMS) is an innovative framework designed for digital identity management, utilizing the unique attributes of blockchain technology. The BDIMS categorizes entities into three distinct groups: identity providers, service providers, and end-users. The system’s efficiency in identifying and extracting information from identification cards is enhanced by the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. These algorithms decompose the extracted fields into smaller units, facilitating optical character recognition (OCR) and user authentication processes. By employing Merkle Trees, the BDIMS ensures secure authentication with service providers without the need to disclose any personal information. This advanced system empowers users to maintain control over their private information, ensuring its protection with maximum effectiveness and security. Experimental results confirm that the BDIMS effectively mitigates identity fraud while maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive data. Full article

Blockchain technology has transformed how data are stored and transactions are processed in a distributed environment. Blockchain assures data integrity by validating transactions through the consensus of a distributed ledger involving several miners as validators. Although blockchain provides multiple advantages, it has also been subject to some malicious attacks, such as a 51% attack, which is considered a potential risk to data integrity. These attacks can be detected by analyzing the anomalous node behavior of miner nodes in the network, and data analysis plays a vital role in detecting and overcoming these attacks to make a secure blockchain. Integrating machine learning algorithms with blockchain has become a significant approach to detecting anomalies such as a 51% attack and double spending. This study comprehensively analyzes various machine learning (ML) methods to detect anomalies in blockchain networks. It presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and a classification to explore the integration of blockchain and ML for anomaly detection in blockchain networks. We implemented Random Forest, AdaBoost, XGBoost, K-means, and Isolation Forest ML models to evaluate their performance in detecting Blockchain anomalies, such as a 51% attack. Additionally, we identified future research directions, including challenges related to scalability, network latency, imbalanced datasets, the dynamic nature of anomalies, and the lack of standardization in blockchain protocols. This study acts as a benchmark for additional research on how ML algorithms identify anomalies in blockchain technology and aids ongoing studies in this rapidly evolving field. Full article

Blockchain technology empowers decentralized transactions in smart grids, but existing consensus algorithms face efficiency and security bottlenecks under Byzantine attacks. This article proposes the RVR consensus algorithm, which innovatively integrates dynamic reputation evaluation, verifiable random function (VRF), and a weight-driven probability election mechanism to achieve (1) behavior-aware dynamic adjustment of reputation weights and (2) manipulation-resistant random leader election via VRF. Experimental verification shows that under a silence attack, the maximum latency is reduced by 37.88% compared to HotStuff, and under a forking attack, the maximum throughput is increased by 50.66%, providing an efficient and secure new paradigm for distributed energy trading. Full article

Air pollution poses a serious threat to both public health and the environment, contributing to millions of premature deaths worldwide each year. The integration of augmented reality (AR), blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies can provide a transformative approach to collaborative air quality monitoring (AQM), enabling real-time, transparent, and intuitive access to environmental data for community awareness, behavioural change, informed decision-making, and proactive responses to pollution challenges. This article presents a unified vision of the key elements and technologies to consider when designing such AQM systems, allowing dynamic and user-friendly immersive air quality data visualization interfaces, secure and trusted data storage, fine-grained data collection through crowdsourcing, and active community learning and participation. It serves as a conceptual basis for any design and implementation of such systems. Full article

Smart contracts are self-executing programs that facilitate trustless transactions between multiple parties, most commonly deployed on the Ethereum blockchain. They have become integral to decentralized applications in areas such as voting, digital agreements, and financial systems. However, the immutable and transparent nature of smart contracts makes security vulnerabilities especially critical, as deployed contracts cannot be modified. Security flaws have led to substantial financial losses, underscoring the need for robust verification before deployment. This survey presents a comprehensive review of the state of the art in smart contract security verification, with a focus on Ethereum. We analyze a wide range of verification methods, including static and dynamic analysis, formal verification, and machine learning, and evaluate 62 open-source tools across their detection accuracy, efficiency, and usability. In addition, we highlight emerging trends, challenges, and the need for cross-methodological integration and benchmarking. Our findings aim to guide researchers, developers, and security auditors in selecting and advancing effective verification approaches for building secure and reliable smart contracts. Full article

Decentralized P2P networks have emerged as robust instruments to execute computing tasks, with enhanced security and transparency. Solutions such as Blockchain have proved to be successful in a large catalog of critical applications such as cryptocurrency, intellectual property, etc. However, although executions are transparent and P2P are resistant against common cyberattacks, they tend to be untrustworthy. P2P nodes typically do not offer any evidence about the quality of their resolution of the delegated computing tasks, so trustworthiness of results is threatened. To mitigate this challenge, in usual P2P networks, many different replicas of the same computing task are delegated to different nodes. The final result is the one most nodes reached. But this approach is very resource consuming, especially in terms of energy, as many unnecessary computing tasks are executed. Therefore, new solutions to achieve trustworthy P2P networks, but with an energy efficiency perspective, are needed. This study addresses this challenge. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the effectiveness of an audit-based and score-based approach is assigned to each node instead of performing identical tasks redundantly on different nodes in the network. The proposed solution employs probabilistic methods to detect the malicious nodes taking into account parameters like number of executed tasks and number of audited ones giving a value to the node, and game theory which consider that all nodes play with the same rules. Qualitative and quantitative experimental methods are used to evaluate its impact. The results reveal a significant reduction in network energy consumption, minimum a 50% comparing to networks in which each task is delivered to different nodes considering the task is delivered to a pair of nodes, supporting the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Full article

Blockchain technology, originally introduced through Bitcoin cryptocurrency in 2008, has rapidly expanded beyond its financial roots, offering innovative solutions for secure data management across various sectors, including education. Higher education institutions, faced with challenges in managing academic records, verifying degrees, assessing skills, and safeguarding personal data, have increasingly looked to blockchain for answers. Blockchain’s transparent, immutable, and decentralized nature provides potential solutions to these longstanding problems. This systematic review assesses blockchain-based proposals for academic certificates management, aiming to highlight globally recognized best practices, explore the latest applications, and identify key challenges hindering the widespread adoption of blockchain technology in education. A thorough discussion based on the findings introduces potential solutions to mitigate these challenges and provides insights into possible future research directions that could help overcome these obstacles. Full article

In higher education, especially in programming-intensive fields like computer science, safeguarding students’ source code is crucial to prevent theft that could impact learning and future careers. Traditional storage solutions like Google Drive are vulnerable to hacking and alterations, highlighting the need for stronger protection. This work explores digital technologies that enhance source code security, with a focus on Blockchain and NFTs. Due to Blockchain’s decentralized and immutable nature, NFTs can be used to control code ownership, improving security, traceability, and preventing unauthorized access. This approach effectively addresses existing gaps in protecting academic intellectual property. However, as Bennett et al. highlight, while these technologies have significant potential, challenges remain in large-scale implementation and user acceptance. Despite these hurdles, integrating Blockchain and NFTs presents a promising opportunity to enhance academic integrity. Successful adoption in educational settings may require a more inclusive and innovative strategy. Full article

The design of Web3 applications presents unique challenges due to their complex technical requirements. Despite the increasing spread of this technology, there is a notable lack of comprehensive, empirically grounded design guidelines for developing user-friendly Web3 interfaces. This study addresses this gap through a systematic three-phase approach: (1) developing initial guidelines from a literature review and industry sources (n = 31), (2) conducting evaluations using a 14-point framework based on the initial guidelines to test its effectiveness across diverse Web3 applications (n = 25), and (3) validating refined guidelines through expert evaluation sessions (n = 7). Expert evaluations highlighted the need for task-oriented rather than category-based organization of design principles. Based on these findings, we developed a structured framework organizing guidelines into four key task flows, each with three implementation levels. The framework emphasizes progressive disclosure of blockchain concepts, integrated user education, and clear state visualization. Our findings contribute to academic discussion and industry practice by providing empirically validated patterns for Web3 interface design. This study lays a foundation for creating more accessible and user-friendly decentralized applications, though future work should focus on longitudinal validation and adaptation to emerging technologies. Full article

Blockchain technology is an emerging decentralized and distributed technology that can maintain data security. It has the potential to transform many sectors completely. The core component of blockchain networks is the consensus algorithm because its efficiency, security, and scalability depend on it. A consensus problem is a difficult and significant task that must be considered carefully in a blockchain network. It has several practical applications such as distributed computing, load balancing, and blockchain transaction validation. Even though a lot of consensus algorithms have been proposed, the majority of them require many computational and communication resources. Similarly, they also suffer from high latency and low throughput. In this work, we proposed a new consensus algorithm for consortium blockchain for a leader selection using the reputation value of nodes and the voting process to ensure high performance. A security analysis is conducted to demonstrate the security of the proposed algorithm. The outcomes show that the proposed algorithm provides a strong defense against the network nodes’ abnormal behavior. The performance analysis is performed by using Hyperledger Fabric v2.1 and the results show that it performs better in terms of throughput, latency, CPU utilization, and communications costs than its rivals Trust-Varying Algo, FP-BFT, and Scalable and Trust-based algorithms. Full article

Blockchain technology has been highlighted as one of the most promising technologies to emerge in the 21st century. However, the expansion of blockchain applications is progressing much more slowly than initially expected, despite its promising properties. These considerations motivate this study, which evaluates the drivers that facilitate the adoption of this technology through blockchain-based loyalty programs (BBLPs). The analytical framework used is the conceptual groundwork known as the cognitive–affective–normative model. Thus, we propose to explain the behavioural intention to use BBLPs (BEHAV) with two cognitive variables, namely perceived usefulness (USEFUL) and perceived ease of use (EASE); two affective variables, namely positive emotions (PEMO) and negative emotions (NEMO); and a normative factor, namely, the subjective norm (SNORM). A partial least squares-structural equation modelling analysis suggests that, to explain the expected response of BEHAV, only the positive relationships of the cognitive constructs with the response variable are significant. The results of the quantile regression suggest that the cognitive constructs, especially USEFUL, have a consistently significant positive influence across the entire response range of the response variable. The affective variables are significant in explaining the lower quantiles of BEHAV but not across the full response range. NEMO consistently has a significant negative influence on BEHAV in the percentiles at or below the median response. PEMO has a significantly positive influence on some of the BEHAV percentiles below the median, although this impact is not consistent across the lower quantiles of the median. The normative variable appears to have a residual influence on BEHAV, which, when significant (at the 90th quantile), is, contrary to expectations, negative. The results highlight that, while cognitive variables are essential in the acceptance of BBLPs, emotions—particularly negative ones—play an especially significant role among potential users whose level of acceptance falls below the central trend. Full article

This paper explores the integration of Business Process Management (BPM) with blockchain technology to enhance pension systems, using Hungary as a case study. Specifically, it addresses scientific challenges related to data access management, regulatory compliance, and system scalability within blockchain-based pension frameworks. This study investigates how BPM can improve the transparency, efficiency, and security of blockchain applications in pension administration by optimizing workflows and automating compliance with regulations such as GDPR. By analyzing operational flow diagrams and implementing architectural models, this paper presents an innovative approach to pension management, demonstrating significant improvements in service quality and operational efficiency. Findings from this research provide empirical evidence of the benefits of BPM-enhanced blockchain systems, offering insights applicable to pension systems beyond the Hungarian context, including examples from other countries. Full article

This review examines the integration of blockchain technology with the IoT in the Marine Internet of Things (MIoT) and Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT), with applications in areas such as oceanographic monitoring and naval defense. These environments present distinct challenges, including a limited communication bandwidth, energy constraints, and secure data handling needs. Enhancing BIoT systems requires a strategic selection of computing paradigms, such as edge and fog computing, and lightweight nodes to reduce latency and improve data processing in resource-limited settings. While a blockchain can improve data integrity and security, it can also introduce complexities, including interoperability issues, high energy consumption, standardization challenges, and costly transitions from legacy systems. The solutions reviewed here include lightweight consensus mechanisms to reduce computational demands. They also utilize established platforms, such as Ethereum and Hyperledger, or custom blockchains designed to meet marine-specific requirements. Additional approaches incorporate technologies such as fog and edge layers, software-defined networking (SDN), the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) for decentralized storage, and AI-enhanced security measures, all adapted to each application’s needs. Future research will need to prioritize scalability, energy efficiency, and interoperability for effective BIoT deployment. Full article