Smart contracts
- 1. When machines take decisions on their own: Introduction to Smart Contracts philippe.camacho@dreamlab.net Dreamlab 28 of August 2015 Bern, Switzerland
- 2. 2 “As another example, consider a hypothetical digital security system for automobiles. The smart contract design strategy suggests that we successively refine security protocols to more fully embed in a property the contractual terms which deal with it. These protocols would give control of the cryptographic keys for operating the property to the person who rightfully owns that property, based on the terms of the contract. In the most straightforward implementation, the car can be rendered inoperable unless the proper challenge-response protocol is completed with its rightful owner, preventing theft.” Nick Szabo
- 3. 3 A smart contract is a program which execution is autonomous and totally transparent. In particular this execution cannot be reverted and its trace is public and immutable. A smart contract can send, receive and store money. It can also interact with other smart contracts or any computational systems connected to the internet.
- 4. 4 «Traditional» contract Contract Execution Audit (Control) Definition Interaction between human and objects. Possible application of punishments Definitions can be interpreted (trial) Paper (semi-) manual data recollection
- 5. 5 Smart contract Contract Execution Audit (Control) Definition Program execution (Only one interpretation) Not reversible, autonomous Software program Real time Immutable
- 6. 6 Agenda • Bitcoin • Change of paradigm • Bitcoin is more than money • Smart contracts • Examples • Ethereum Objective: understading the principles behind this technology Objective: Have a feeling of the impact and challenges related to this technology
- 7. 7 From 1 USD to 1000 USD in 3 years
- 9. 9 The first five times you think you understand it, you don’t. http://dankaminsky.com/2011/08/05/bo2k11/
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- 12. 12 Solución #0 Is it possible to create a decentralized digital currency? Centralized systems have limitations…
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- 14. 14 Arreglo #1 Banks Trust in institutions Bitcoin Trust in source code (open source) + mathematical laws V/S = +
- 15. 15 ¿But who did invent Bitcoin? No one knows... Anyways trust should not depend on this. http://www.newsweek.com/2014/03/14/face-behind-bitcoin-247957.html
- 16. 16 Solution #1 1 BTC 2 BTC 1 BTC
- 17. 17 I can spend my bitcoins several times (double spending).
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- 19. 19 Fix #2 The Bitcoin network shares a database of all the transactions
- 20. 20 Audit Not only the banking industry is going to be impacted by Bitcoin, but also the audit industry
- 21. 21 Solution #2 Origin Destination Amount Homer Lisa 1 BTC Homer Bart 2 BTC Lisa Bart 1 BTC … … … The Bitcoin network checks that an account has enough funds before accepting a transaction.
- 22. 22 Every transaction needs to be public. Nobody will want to use such a system that reveals all this information!
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- 24. 24 Fix #3 The user identifier is replaced by a random number Bitcoin address: 31uEbMgunupShBVTewXjtqbBv5MndwfXhb
- 25. 25 Solution #3 Origin Destination Amount HhY67j81 Jh89HF8m 1 BTC HhY67J81 LaU4V6uU 2 BTC Jh89HF8m LaU4V6uU 1 BTC … … … Note: every user can create multiple accounts / addresses
- 26. 26 Bitcoin y Anonymity • Bitcoin is not totally anonymous by default • Some attempts to improve anonymity zerocash-project.orgBlockchain.info Dilemma: privacy v/s crime
- 27. 27 Every account is public so I can spend money from any of them (I can spend other people’s bitcoins).
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- 29. 29 Fix #4: Digital Signatures
- 30. 32 Solution #4 Origin Destination Amount Signature HhY67j81 Jh89HF8m 1 BTC Djsh767 HhY67J81 LaU4V6uU 2 BTC 8988dd Jh89HF8m LaU4V6uU 1 BTC djDhd7n … … … Bitcoin addresses are computed from the public key Message
- 31. 33 What does it mean when I say “I own 30 BTC”? You know the private key related to a public key (≈bitcoin address) and its balance is 30 BTC. You are the only person to know this private key. 1 2 Implicit contract You know the key => you are the owner (Being owner = having the hability to transfer)
- 32. 34 ¿Future of banking? YCombinator 70+ millionsde USD 39 000 businesses served 40 millions USD Wences Casares Debit card that can be paid in BTC
- 33. 35 Pagar con bitcoin Paying with bitcoin is very easy but cannot be reverted My bitcoin address: 1Ask9dvcJHEyjiVm5L9vjxYTU3i8Q1Q1zV
- 34. 36 I still can do evil things.... What about publishing a fake history of transactions?
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- 36. 38 Fix #5: Cryptograhic Hash Functions H 01110001110001110 10001010100010010 00110101010010110 01100111100011100 10000101000101110 1101101011010010 Big size input Fixed size output (e.g.: 256 bits)
- 37. 39 Solution #5 HH H Tx1; Tx2; Tx3… Initial value (coinbase) Tx34; Tx35; Tx36… Tx54; Tx55; Tx56… Block of transactions Blockchain …
- 38. 40 But who will compute the next block?
- 39. 41 Proof of Work 00000 00001 00010 00011 00100 00101 00110 00111 01000 01001 01010 01011 01100 01101 01110 01111 10000 10001 10010 10011 10100 10101 10110 10111 11000 11001 11010 11011 11100 11101 11110 11111 H1001101|| x 000||10 Find value x so that the output begins with 3 zeros. The only way (*) to compute this value so that the output starts with 𝒏 zeros is to try at random around de 𝟐 𝒏 times. (*) If you find another way you can (1) become rich, (2) famous (Turing Award), or (3) both (start with (1) then (2)...
- 40. 42 Solution #5 • The first node that manages to solve this puzzle/equation wins the block • The bitcoin network extends this chain with the new block • The network always chooses to extend the largest chain Grrr! I need to control 51% of the computational power of the network (*) (*) It is not that simple… => Majority is not Enough: Bitcoin Mining is Vulnerable http://arxiv.org/abs/1311.0243
- 41. 43 Computational power of the Bitcoin network
- 42. 44 Sounds good… but why would people waste their CPU cycle?
- 43. 45 Mining • The winnner of a block receives a reward of 25 BTC Indeed this is how the bitcoins are «created» • This process is called mining
- 44. 46 Solution to the consensus problem (Proof of work) Simple tools (Hash functions + digital signature) Economic incentive Why is Bitcoin’s design so brilliant?
- 45. 47 Bitcoin is a smart contract!
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- 47. 49 Bitcoin is a smart contract • It is a program • Its execution is autonomous • because of the decentralized network • Every transactions are public • It is not possible to modify the history of transactions • The execution cannot be reverted • A few clauses/statements of this contract • No more than 21.000.000 de bitcoins • A new block every 10 minutes • Mining difficulty is ajusted to the power of the network • Only a subset of possible transactions are allowed • …
- 48. 50 Bitcoin transaction https://bitcoin.org/en/developer-guide#signature-hash-types Much more complex than a simple signed message… It is a smart contract!
- 49. 51 Sure, a smart contrat that executes another smart contract….
- 51. 53 Ethereum • Platform similar to Bitcoin but: • The language for writing smart contracts is more expressive (Turing-Complete) • Avoids to reinvent the wheel by forking an existing cryptocurrency • All the smart contracts use the same blockchain • Crowdfunding (sept. 2014) • 31531 BTC = US$18,439,086 • Launching: • it’s live since July 30th 2015! Vitalik Buterin Ethereum founder
- 52. 54 Sales contract http://etherscripter.com/0-5-1/ Hard problem solved: who pays/sends the product first?
- 53. 55 More examples of smart contracts • Decentralized DNS • Autonomous companies • Define the shares at the beginning • Dividends can be distributed automatically • One could buy and sell stock instantly • Insurance • Heritance • Direct democracy • IOT (IBM+ Samsung using Ethereum => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1XOPIqyP7A) Great video, only 8 minutes
- 54. 56 Challenges • Scalability (current problem with Bitcoin) • Privacy v/s Criminality • A bug can be very expensive • A breach can lead to a loss of all funds of the contract (which could be a whole company!) • Generalized bug • Fork Bitcoin in 2013 • Security? Still relying on the break-and-fix cycle
- 55. 57 Using smart contracts for crime • Enable to do business without relying on trust • => perfect for cybercrime • Example of evil businesses • Selling secrets • DoS • Assassination • Defacement • Relies on very sophisticated cryptography on top of smart contracts http://www.arijuels.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/public_gyges.pdf
- 56. 58 Thank you!