Integration of blockchain technologies into cybersecurity systems for critical infrastructure facilities: Prospects and challenges
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to analyse the potential and main problems of integrating blockchain technologies into the processes of ensuring cybersecurity of critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine. As part of the work, the potential of blockchain technologies in improving the security of critical infrastructures was analysed, the existing challenges of scaling and performance of such systems were assessed, and the possibilities of international cooperation for implementing innovative solutions in the field of cybersecurity were explored. The paper provided a comprehensive analysis of the prospects for integrating blockchain technologies into cybersecurity systems for critical infrastructure facilities. To ensure the relevance of the study, the technical features of the blockchain, such as consensus mechanisms, data distribution models, and cryptographic methods, were considered. It was found that blockchain technologies provide increased transparency, resistance to cyber threats, and optimisation of access control to critical data. At the same time, the main challenges remain low scalability of systems, limited transaction speed, and high energy costs, which complicates their large-scale implementation. The study also showed that there is a need to adapt regulatory requirements to improve the efficiency of blockchain integration into infrastructure facilities. The study demonstrated the significant potential of blockchain technologies as one of the key components in building sustainable cybersecurity systems. The conclusions of the paper emphasise the need for an interdisciplinary approach to the implementation of technologies, including technical, economic, and regulatory aspects, to increase the level of security of critical infrastructure facilities in the context of growing cyber threats. In addition, the paper highlights the importance of international cooperation, which will combine resources and expertise to create more effective and innovative solutions in the field of cybersecurity
Keywords
distributed ledgers; data management; regulatory aspects; cryptography; digital trust
References
[1] Ali, A., Ali, H., Saeed, A., Ahmed Khan, A., Tin, T.T., Assam, M., Ghadi, Y.Y., & Mohamed, H.G. (2023). Blockchainpowered healthcare systems: Enhancing scalability and security with hybrid deep learning. Sensors, 23(18), article number 7740. doi: 10.3390/s23187740.
[2] Barka, E., Kerrache, C.A., Benkraouda, H., Shuaib, K., Ahmad, F., & Kurugollu, F. (2022). Towards a trusted unmanned aerial system using blockchain for the protection of critical infrastructure. Transactions on Emerging Telecommunications Technologies, 33(8), article number e3706. doi: 10.1002/ett.3706.
[3] Berdik, D., Otoum, S., Schmidt, N., Porter, D., & Jararweh, Y. (2021). A survey on blockchain for information systems management and security. Information Processing & Management, 58(1), article number 102397. doi: 10.1016/j.ipm.2020.102397.
[4] Chowdhury, N., & Gkioulos, V. (2021). Cyber security training for critical infrastructure protection: A literature review. Computer Science Review, 40, article number 100361. doi: 10.1016/j.cosrev.2021.100361.
[5] Große, C., Olausson, P.M., & Wallman-Lundåsen, S. (2021). Left in the dark: Obstacles to studying and performing critical infrastructure protection. Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 19(2), 58-70. doi: 10.34190/ ejbrm.19.2.2509.
[6] Habib, G., Sharma, S., Ibrahim, S., Ahmad, I., Qureshi, S., & Ishfaq, M. (2022). Blockchain technology: Benefits, challenges, applications, and integration of blockchain technology with cloud computing. Future Internet, 14(11), article number 341. doi: 10.3390/fi14110341.
[7] Hasan, M.K., Alkhalifah, A., Islam, S., Babiker, N.B.M., Habib, A.K.M.A., Aman, A.H.M., & Hossain, M.A. (2022). Blockchain technology on smart grid, energy trading, and big data: Security issues, challenges, and recommendations. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, 2022(1), article number 9065768. doi: 10.1155/2022/9065768.
[8] Horner, J., & Ryan, P. (2019). Blockchain standards for sustainable development. Journal of ICT Standardization, 7(3), 225-248. doi: 10.13052/jicts2245-800X.733.
[9] Implementation of blockchain technology in healthcare in 2023. (2023). Retrieved from https://stfalcon.com/ uk/blog/post/implementation-of-blockchain-technology-in-healthcare.
[10] Iskryzhytskii, A., & Zadorozhnii, A. (2024). Study of available methods and technologies for decentralized storing and administration of public data. Technical Sciences and Technologies, 2(36), 137-150. doi: 10.25140/24115363-2024-2(36)-137-150.
[11] Israel and Ukraine face shared cyber threats. (2023). Retrieved from https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2023/11/13/ israel-and-ukraine-face-shared-cyber-threats/.
[12] Joint Statement on the United States-European Union 9th Cyber Dialogue in Brussels. (2023). Retrieved from https://surl.li/ooyrtk.
[13] Kobets, D., & Runov, O. (2024). Integration of blockchain technologies in the personnel potential management system of medical institutions. Innovation and Sustainability, 4(1), 112-119. doi: 10.31649/ ins.2024.1.112.119.
[14] Koh, L., Dolgui, A., & Sarkis, J. (2020). Blockchain in transport and logistics – paradigms and transitions. International Journal of Production Research, 58(7), 2054-2062. doi: 10.1080/00207543.2020.1736428.
[15] Košťál, K., Helebrandt, P., Belluš, M., Ries, M., & Kotuliak, I. (2019). Management and monitoring of IoT devices using blockchain. Sensors, 19(4), article number 856. doi: 10.3390/s19040856.
[16] Kozhemiakin, S. (2023). Blockchain in Ukraine is used at the state level: 4 main areas are named. Retrieved from https://hub.obozrevatel.com/ukr/blokchejn-dlya-ukraintsiv-yak-zastosue-kriptotehnologiyu-mintsifru.htm.
[17] Mohamed, N., & Ahmed, A.A. (2024). AI in combatting man-in-the-middle attacks: A comprehensive review. In Proceedings of the 15th international conference on computing communication and networking technologies (pp. 1-6). Kamand: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/ICCCNT61001.2024.10725789.
[18] Nasir, M.H., Arshad, J., Khan, M.M., Fatima, M., Salah, K., & Jayaraman, R. (2022). Scalable blockchains – a syste matic review. Future Generation Computer Systems, 126, 136-162. doi: 10.1016/j.future.2021.07.035.
[19] Nguyen, C.T., Hoang, D.T., Nguyen, D.N., Niyato, D., Nguyen, H.T., & Dutkiewicz, E. (2019). Proof-of-stake consensus mechanisms for future blockchain networks: Fundamentals, applications and opportunities. IEEE Access, 7, 85727-85745. doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2925010.
[20] Pacheco, M., Oliva, G., Rajbahadur, G.K., & Hassan, A. (2023). Is my transaction done yet? An empirical study of transaction processing times in the Ethereum blockchain platform. ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, 32(3), article number 59. doi: 10.1145/3549542.
[21] Pournader, M., Shi, Y., Seuring, S., & Koh, S.C.L. (2020). Blockchain applications in supply chains, transport and logistics: A systematic review of the literature. International Journal of Production Research, 58(7), 2063-2081. doi: 10.1080/00207543.2019.1650976.
[22] Radvanovsky, R., & McDougall, A. (2023). Critical infrastructure: Homeland security and emergency preparedness. Boca Raton: CRC Press. doi: 10.4324/9781003346630.
[23] Safitra, M.F., Lubis, M., & Fakhrurroja, H. (2023). Counterattacking cyber threats: A framework for the future of cybersecurity. Sustainability, 15(18), article number 13369. doi: 10.3390/su151813369.
[24] Semenenko, O., Nozdrachov, O., Chernyshova, I., Melnychenko, A., & Momot, D. (2024). Innovative technologies to improve energy efficiency and security of military facilities. Machinery & Energetics, 15(4), 147-156. doi: 10.31548/machinery/4.2024.147.
[25] Shapovalova, N., Dotsenko, І., Trachuk, A., & Skrynnikov, I. (2024). Applying artificial intelligence tools for time series analysis. Journal of Kryvyi Rih National University, 22(1), 46-51. doi: 10.31721/2306-5451-2024-1-58-46-52.
[26] Shevchuk, M., Zhulinskyi, M., Kupchok, V., Mykhailiv, A., & Kukoreno, M. (2024). Using blockchain technology to increase the efficiency of energy industry enterprises. Scientific Notes of Lviv University of Business and Law, 40, 704-709. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10637407.
[27] Smith, K.J., & Dhillon, G. (2020). Assessing blockchain potential for improving the cybersecurity of financial transactions. Managerial Finance, 46(6), 833-848. doi: 10.1108/MF-06-2019-0314.
[28] Tibrewal, I., Srivastava, M., & Tyagi, A.K. (2022). Blockchain technology for securing cyber-infrastructure and internet of things networks. In A.K. Tyagi, A. Abraham & A. Kaklauskas (Eds.), Intelligent interactive multimedia systems for e-healthcare applications (pp. 337-350). Singapore: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-98116-6542-4_17.
[29] Ullah, Z., Al-Turjman, F., Mostarda, L., & Gagliardi, R. (2020). Applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in smart cities. Computer Communications, 154, 313-323. doi: 10.1016/j.comcom.2020.02.069.
[30] Vance, T.R., & Vance, A. (2019). Cybersecurity in the blockchain era: A survey on examining critical infrastructure protection with blockchain-based technology. In Proceedings of the IEEE international scientific-practical conference problems of infocommunications, science and technology (pp. 107-112). Kyiv: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/ PICST47496.2019.9061242.
[31] Wang, Q., & Su, M. (2020). Integrating blockchain technology into the energy sector – from theory of blockchain to research and application of energy blockchain. Computer Science Review, 37, article number 100275. doi: 10.1016/j.cosrev.2020.100275.
[32] Warkentin, M., & Orgeron, C. (2020). Using the security triad to assess blockchain technology in public sector applications. International Journal of Information Management, 52, article number 102090. doi: 10.1016/j. ijinfomgt.2020.102090.
[33] Wei, P., Wang, D., Zhao, Y., Sah Tyagi, S.K., & Kumar, N. (2020). Blockchain data-based cloud data integrity protection mechanism. Future Generation Computer Systems, 102, 902-911. doi: 10.1016/j.future.2019.09.028.
[34] Wisniewski, M., Gladysz, B., Ejsmont, K., Wodecki, A., & Van Erp, T. (2022). Industry 4.0 solutions impacts on critical infrastructure safety and protection – a systematic literature review. IEEE Access, 10, 82716-82735. doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3195337.
[35] Yu, K., Tan, L., Mumtaz, S., Al-Rubaye, S., Al-Dulaimi, A., Bashir, A.K., & Khan, F.A. (2021). Securing critical infrastructures: Deep-learning-based threat detection in IIoT. IEEE Communications Magazine, 59(10), 76-82. doi: 10.1109/MCOM.101.2001126.
[36] Zainuddin, A.A., Sairin, H., Mazlan, I.A., Muslim, N.N., & Wan Sabarudin, W.A.S. (2024). Enhancing IoT security: A synergy of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. Data Science Insights, 2(1), 9-19.
[37] Zambrano, R. (2020). Taming the beast: Harnessing blockchains in developing country governments. Frontiers in Blockchain, 2, article number 27. doi: 10.3389/fbloc.2019.00027.