Blockchain Could Offer an ‘Audit Trail’ For Cybersecurity

Blockchain’s biggest strengths are transparency and immutability. Intel may want to put this tech to work. 

The company filed a patent application for “blockchains for security IoT devices” that essentially use blockchain as a means of recording and regulation who has access to devices in an Internet-of-Things network. 

The filing describes a system that would prevent unauthorized access by leveraging blockchain to provide a tamper-proof record of interactions, policies and device identities. Intel noted that this patent would be particularly useful in the context of devices for “remote sensing and actuation functions,” such as those in manufacturing or industrial environments.

Intel’s patent highlights a key use case for blockchain outside of cryptocurrency or digital assets: security. The immutable nature of blockchain as a recordkeeper makes it particularly useful as a “complementary tool for security, especially with IoT,” said Jordan Gutt, Web 3.0 lead at The Glimpse Group. 

Within security, blockchain technology can provide an “audit trail,” allowing IT teams and enterprises to track exactly who accessed what, and when, Gutt said. While Intel’s patent lays this out for IoT devices, this can have use cases in other areas of security, such as identity management, he noted. And as enterprises battle credential attacks in areas such as cloud, this use case could help them more easily track down breaches. 

However, while blockchain offers an “added layer of trust, it’s not a standalone fix for security,” said Gutt. Within security protocols, blockchain needs to work alongside other strong protections, he said. “Blockchain isn’t a silver bullet for anything. It just adds a decentralized trust layer that would complement the more traditional security measures.”