At present, the country has incorporated blockchain into the construction of new information infrastructure, and the application of blockchain technology and industrial integration are in a stage of rapid development. Dr. Wei Huo from the Department of Computer Science and Technology of Tsinghua University told reporters that my country still has a certain gap with developed countries in terms of the core technology of blockchain, and the development and application of blockchain platforms based on independent passwords and independent codes is still lacking. Password is the core technology and basic support of blockchain. In order to ensure the safe and orderly application of blockchain in various fields, it is necessary to strengthen the management of blockchain password application in accordance with laws and regulations, actively promote the independent innovation of blockchain password, and consolidate it. The security cornerstone and trust bond of blockchain.
Blockchain is a fusion innovation of information technology such as cryptography
According to Huo Wei, the blockchain innovatively applies cryptography, peer-to-peer networks, consensus mechanisms, smart contracts and other technologies to construct a new data organization management solution in a multi-trust application environment that is different from a single trust entity. , Its essence is the distributed ledger technology based on cryptography principles. In a narrow sense, a blockchain is a specific data structure that combines data blocks in a chain in a chronological order to ensure that the data cannot be tampered with or forged in a cryptographic manner. Broadly speaking, blockchain is a decentralized infrastructure and distribution that uses encrypted chain block structure to verify and store data, uses distributed node consensus algorithm to generate and update data, and uses automated script code to program and manipulate data. Formal computing paradigm is a distributed infrastructure and computing rules.
Huo Wei said that the blockchain innovation constructs a practical distributed trust model, which provides the basis of trust for ledger consensus under weak center/multi-center, and has special application value in business scenarios that require multi-party consensus. Based on the consensus mechanism, the blockchain provides authentic and credible storage and computing services to the outside world. It is evolving from "characterized by digital cryptocurrency" to "characterized by general data storage and processing". It is a possible big data storage and algorithm in the future. The automatic execution platform is the core technology and infrastructure of a possible new generation of Internet architecture. Blockchain will be a cognitive revolution in the online world, prompting us to think about how to create transactions, store data, and exchange assets.
Cryptographic applications and support are the foundation of blockchain security
Huo Wei said that the blockchain architecture mainly includes cryptographic components, storage components, network components, consensus components, contract/virtual machine components, and management components. The role of cryptographic components runs through all levels of blockchain security. The cornerstone of security and trusted genes.
At the data level, the blockchain uses cryptographic techniques such as cryptographic hashing and digital signatures for account book construction and transaction authorization; at the application level, the blockchain uses cryptographic technology support such as homomorphic encryption, secure multi-party computing, zero-knowledge proof, and ring signatures. Realize privacy protection on the chain; at the communication level, blockchain uses cryptographic technology to provide technical support such as communication encryption, node identification, message integrity, and anonymous routing. Blockchain is a rich application of cryptographic technology, and it is also a new form of implementation of cryptographic technology to provide secure and reliable services, and it is highly innovative.
The role of cryptography in the blockchain is concentrated in four aspects: First, it helps to build a trusted identity. Blockchain networks mostly use asymmetric public-private key pairs for self-decentralized management of user identities. Public-private key pairs are the only credential to establish blockchain user identities. Users use private keys to sign transactions and public keys to verify transactions. The second is to help realize transaction confirmation. In the blockchain system, the account models are different, but most transactions are determined by digital signature technology. Each transaction requires a valid digital signature to be stored in the block. The signature private key indicates the user’s asset The ownership of, combined with the consensus mechanism, ensures that the assets in the entire process can be traced back, avoiding security issues such as double spending and forged transactions. The third is to help realize privacy protection. The data in the blockchain system is publicly visible to the entire network. The use of ring signature and zero-knowledge proof technology to construct a privacy protection scheme can achieve strong privacy protection for users and transactions. The fourth is to help achieve consensus security. Blockchain consensus mechanisms are mostly based on cryptographic technologies such as digital signatures, threshold signatures, and password sharing.
The key core technology of blockchain must be based on independent innovation
Huo Wei said that most of the current mainstream domestic blockchains are developed on the underlying open source blockchain platforms, and most of these open source platforms use cryptographic algorithms that are not recognized by the state, and some algorithms have been warned of security risks. Although it is an open source platform, the core code of the platform is still in the hands of developers, and there is a risk of being "stuck" at any time. On the other hand, the security of blockchain cryptographic applications has many shortcomings. For example, the private keys of blockchain users are generally kept in "digital asset wallets", while quite a few blockchain applications do not use cryptographic modules with sufficient security strength. To build a digital asset wallet, users are faced with digital asset security issues that cannot be ignored. Faced with the increasingly severe network security situation, it is necessary to base itself on independent cryptographic technology and focus on the research and development of an independent and controllable underlying blockchain platform to ensure the safe and reliable application of blockchain.
Cryptographic technology innovation is the foundation of the independent and controllable blockchain core technology. First of all, cryptographic technology innovation helps to improve the efficiency of blockchain operations. Blockchain uses cryptographic algorithms to ensure that data cannot be tampered with and is non-repudiation. The high-frequency use of cryptographic calculations increases the computational burden and delay of nodes, thus speeding up breakthroughs in key technologies such as lightweight cryptography, efficient consensus protocols, and high-performance cryptographic computing. , Which can further improve the computational efficiency of blockchain nodes. Secondly, autonomous cryptographic technology empowers the safe operation of the blockchain. At the bottom of the blockchain, algorithms such as cryptographic hashing and public key cryptography are applied. The security strength of these algorithms will gradually decline with the development of technology. It is necessary to periodically and rollingly carry out research on the new generation of cryptographic algorithms and engineering implementation; Nodes will be deployed in different environments. How to introduce cryptographic modules with sufficient security strength in these environments is crucial to the protection of digital assets in the blockchain. In the public cloud-based blockchain network environment, cryptographic modules and key security are difficult to achieve through hardware cryptographic modules. The research on software cryptographic modules has become very important. It is urgent to speed up the white box cryptographic algorithm, threshold key algorithm, Research on cryptographic techniques such as obfuscation and device binding.
Government data sharing is the main battlefield of blockchain independent innovation
Huo Wei said that the blockchain needs to find suitable application scenarios. It should first try and fully verify its superiority, and then promote it in an orderly manner. It must not be used in the application of blockchain.
With the deepening of my country's digital government and e-government construction, it is objectively necessary to accelerate the promotion of controlled sharing of government data and business collaboration, and blockchain technology provides a valuable solution for solving government data sharing and government process coordination. This is mainly reflected in four aspects: One is to confirm data rights. Blockchain can realize the credible traceability of the data circulation process, and provide technical support for solving the problems of ownership, management and use rights in the process of using government data. The second is to guard the data. Blockchain guarantees the logical security of data through cryptographic technology, the physical security of data through distributed ledger, and the high availability of services through a multi-centralized system. The third is to troubleshoot data. Blockchain technology builds a multi-party trusted collaborative environment, combined with secure multi-party computing and other technologies, can realize the joint maintenance and utilization of government data across departments, regions, and levels. The fourth is to empower data. Blockchain can automatically execute pre-set rules through smart contracts and open up the bridge between the real world and the digital world. The trust infrastructure with blockchain as the bottom layer can empower various industries.
Huo Wei said that to promote the application of blockchain in the field of government services, it is necessary to comply with the management requirements for password applications in the "Cryptography Law of the People's Republic of China" and the "Management Measures for the Construction of National Government Information Projects", and conduct regular password application security assessments. Ensure the compliance, correctness and validity of password schemes and applications. At the same time, blockchain applications in the government service field must adhere to top-down, unified planning, and unified deployment. It is not possible to "build one application and build a chain" and form a new "blockchain information island". my country should support the large-scale application of blockchain technology in the field of government services, provide initial market and prior opportunities for blockchain start-ups and technological innovation, achieve rapid iterative upgrades of technology through large-scale applications, and have more opportunities in the application and development of blockchain technology. Multi-discourse power and dominance.
Source: Economic Information Daily