Chapter 1, Introducing Blockchain Security and Attack Vectors, illustrates the core concepts and fundamental elements of blockchain technology, such as distributed ledgers, peer-to-peer network topology, and consensus protocols.
Chapter 2, Cryptography Essentials, introduces cryptography primitives and their use in blockchain, looking at the differences between cryptography algorithms and hashing algorithms and how cryptography primitives fit into blockchain architecture.
Chapter 3, Blockchain Security Assumptions, focuses on the assumptions made about blockchain security and potential threats related to centralized and decentralized models. We will analyze different types of blockchains and distributed ledger technologies, such as permissioned and permissionless architectures.
Chapter 4, Trustless Blockchain Networks, looks at trustless blockchain networks, analyzing how blockchains achieve decentralization by leveraging peer-to-peer networking. We will also see how blockchains manage transactions and show how to protect wallets and private keys.
Chapter 5, Securing Hyperledger Fabric, is where we analyze the security aspects relating to Hyperledger Fabric, showing how Hyperledger provides protection against the most common security threats.
Chapter 6, Decentralized Apps and Smart Contracts, explores decentralized applications and the core concepts of smart contracts, dealing with central aspects such as developing, creating, and executing decentralized apps and smart contracts in the Ethereum environment.
Chapter 7, Preventing Threats for DApps and Smart Contracts, goes into the security aspects of decentralized applications and smart contracts, showing security best practices to prevent potential threats and attacks. We will also learn how to leverage pentesting tools to assess decentralized applications and potential flaws in smart contracts.
Chapter 8, Exploiting Blockchain as an Attack Vector, looks into how a blockchain can become an attack vector for data integrity compromises, identity theft, and malware.
Chapter 9, Analyzing Privacy and GDPR Compliance Issues, analyzes potential privacy issues for blockchain technology, particularly in terms of EU privacy law (GDPR) compliance.