TECHNOLOGY integrating it into larger enterprises with vast environments and network architectures is proving challenging .
Even if an enterprise wanted to take a piecemeal approach , with numerous vendors providing different elements of blockchain integration , interoperability remains an issue .
Furthermore , the wide variety of blockchain platforms can make it hard to share information between them , leading to interoperability challenges for crossnetwork implementations .
Scalability as a network grows could also cause congestion , leading to slower transaction processing times and higher fees . This drawback makes blockchain less viable for real-time security applications .
But perhaps one of the big issues links back to the issue of decentralisation : data diffusion . Because blockchain is decentralised , this may constitute a governance challenge , especially when a network is managed by a consortium or community outside the control of the organisation .
“ When it comes to public blockchain network-based security solutions such as sovereign identity solution or verifiable identity solution ,” Umashankar goes on , “ there is always a regulatory and compliance concern on crucial PII data shared in an open peer to peer decentralised network .”
This means that , while the benefits of blockchain and decentralisation are very real , in practice it isn ’ t easy to implement blockchain across an organisation in every system .
Replace or augment ? While blockchain and decentralised systems bring benefits to cybersecurity systems , they also introduce several as-yet-unaddressed problems .
However , for the Internet of Things ( IoT ), for example – a network made up of sometimes hundreds of endpoints – the applications are there .
“ IoT can get a considerable boost via blockchain . Devices can use blockchain to have unique IDs and rely on lighter encryption protocols like DTLS ,” explains Konstantinos . “ They can be controlled on a network and such a set-up could prevent rogue devices , unauthorised access and elevated levels of privilege .”
Equally , implementing them as part of a broader cybersecurity posture can take some of the positives while avoiding some of the complexities .
“ Blockchain is not a cure-all for security challenges ,” says Sami . “ Organisations must distinguish between the security features inherent to blockchain and the additional security controls that need to be implemented .”
Despite ongoing challenges , blockchain presents a solution for creating more secure , efficient and user-centric digital identity systems .
With cybersecurity often using defence in depth , adding another reliable step like blockchain onto other protocols , such as multi-factor authentication , can bring tangible benefits to security postures . Even if it doesn ’ t transform it just yet .