![2 G. Singh et al.
identification, credibility, and transparency. Additionally, Blockchain technology the
most frequent use of Blockchain is in the area of finance and banking, and also many
experiments have been done by big corporate in other domains as well. This chapter
will focus on various sectors and areas where the Blockchain technology has an
impact and also discusses future implementation in different sectors.
Keywords Blockchain technology · Challenges · Future applications · Limitations
1 Introduction
Blockchain is a technology that has a record of the distributed database or public
ledgerofallthosedifferentproceedingsthatareimplementedandallthecontributions
sharing it. The transaction that occurred is authenticated by most of the participants
by agreeing. When the information is entered into the system, it cannot be undone.
This technology comprises records of each transaction that is ever done in the system.
The most popular technology which is well known is the bitcoin which is intrin-
sically tied. In the recent past, it is also one of the most discussed phenomenon
as it facilitates transactions of multibillion dollars of the global market without the
restriction of government, due to which there are numerous issues of regulations that
involve the government at the national level and other financial institutions.
But in the past few years, the concept of Blockchain technology has been much
discussed phenomena and completely non-controversial and is effectively executed
in both financial and non-financial worlds. The distributed consensus model of the
Blockchain has been considered as the most important invention in the era of the
Internet itself according to “Marc Andreessen, the doyen of Silicon Valley’s capital-
ists.” This economy is driven by the digital system and relied upon by some of the
authority which is trusted in nature. When the transaction is done by any individual,
it requires that it should trust some system—like it can be service of email providing
the information that it is delivered, or it can be Facebook providing information that
post is shared with everyone or it can be any financial transaction through the bank
where one can get confirmation that money is transferred to a receiver in any part of
the world. We can analyze that we are living in such kind of digital world where we
have to rely upon a third party for security and privacy issues. However, the fact is that
this source of the third source can be operated or hacked as well. At this point where
the role of Blockchain technology comes into the picture, at present, the transaction
system between two individuals and two companies is mostly centralized in nature
and is controlled by a third party. Whenever we make digital payment, there is always
an involvement of a third party so that transactions can be completed. Additionally,
some extra charges are incurred from bank or a credit card company. A similar pattern
is followed in another area also, for example, games, music, software, etc. This issue
has been resolved by the advent of Blockchain technology. The main emphasis of
this technology is to create an environment that is decentralized in nature, and there
is no involvement of the third party in case of transaction and data [1].](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-12-320.jpg)
![Introduction to Blockchain Technology 3
This technology has a feature where it enables us to track every transaction done
in the past and present with the help of distributed consensus, which can be veri-
fied in the future. This is done even without conceding the confidentiality of third
party’s intricate and digital assets. The prime features of Blockchain technology are
distributed consensus and anonymity.
Blockchain enables to maintain consistently increasing the data records which are
inveterate by the different nodes contributing in it with the help of distributed database
solution. Each transaction that is completed is recorded in a pubic ledger. Blockchain
technology provides the solution which is decentralized in nature and it does not
require any mediation by a third party. Information regarding each transaction done
in the Blockchain is communicated to all the nodes participating in it. This feature
of Blockchain technology makes it more transparent as compared to a centralized
transaction which involves the mediation of the third party. Additionally, all the nodes
in the Blockchain are anonymous, which enables the transaction to be more secure
for other nodes. The first application that was introduced in Blockchain technology
was Bitcoin. Bitcoin is the platform where goods are purchased and exchanged with
the help of digital payment by creating a decentralized environment [2].
Although this technology seems very appropriate for conducting the transaction
withthehelpofcryptocurrencies,stillithassometechnicalissuesandrestrictionsthat
require some in-depth analysis and issues to be resolved. In the case of Blockchain,
it is required that the nodes are kept private to protect them from attacks and to
maintain a high level of security and transaction [3]. Additionally, computational
power is also required in the Blockchain for the confirmation of the transaction.
It becomes very imperative in this scenario to understand that what are the topics
which have researched by the different authors and topics and area which needs more
attention which is presenting threats and challenges for future studies. To explore
and understand these questions, we have used systematic mapping to understand the
study process [4] to find out the different work related to the field of Blockchain.
Figure 1 shows the block structure of the Blockchain.
Fig. 1 Block structure](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-13-320.jpg)
![4 G. Singh et al.
The materials in the scientific database can be searched with the help of executing
the well-designed research protocol in case of a systematic mapping study. Based on
currentresearchinthedomainofBlockchain,amapisproducedandotherresearchers
will surely get benefited by understanding the future scope of research and ques-
tions. Although many researches are conducted in the domain of cryptocurrencies
which is also a topic of business and management, we have focused upon the tech-
nical perspective of Blockchain. The main focus of the chapter is to understand the
technical perspective of the Blockchain so our inclination is toward the different
topics related to the technical perspective of the Blockchain which involves security,
performance, data integrity, privacy, and scalability.
This chapter has been organized into different sections. The first section is an intro-
duction followed by Sect. 2 which discusses the Blockchain and Bitcoin. Further-
more, authors have tried to discuss and present the challenges and few technical
restrictions of Blockchain technology. Section 3 of this chapter has focused upon the
methodology adopted and accordingly collecting the appropriate research papers.
Based on the analysis done on the previous research papers, results are presented
in Sect. 4 of the chapter. In Sect. 5, certain identified classification schemes are
presented. In the next section, the results and another area of research chapter have
been discussed, and in the last section, the conclusion has been presented [5].
2 Background
The Blockchain technology was first introduced in the form of Bitcoin, and it is one
technology which is running the cryptocurrency that is Bitcoin. The integrity of the
transaction of data is done with the help of a ledger system [3]. Even in the current
context, the most frequently used application in Blockchain technology is bitcoin
[6]. The main feature of Bitcoin is that it is a payment gateway that is decentralized
in nature and it involves transaction ledger which is public [7]. The prime quality
of Bitcoin is that it can maintain the value of the currency without involvement of
any organization or government institution. The participants who are constantly using
bitcoin are gradually increasing and also the number of transactions [8]. Additionally,
it is also leading toward the conversion of the customary currencies, e.g., KRW, EUR,
and USD, and it is leading to the conversion in the present currency available in the
market [9, 10]. So, this cryptocurrency has gained much attention from a different
set of people across the world and also successfully implemented digital currency
[9].
So, a public key infrastructure mechanism is used in the case of bitcoin [11]. The
use in the PKI mechanism has one public and private key. For the bitcoin wallet,
a public key is employed in the discourse, and to authenticate the user, private key
is used. There are three main components that are included during the transaction:
receiver’s multiple public keys, the public key of the sender, and the worth which is
transported. Within the time zone of 10 days, this transaction will be notified in the
block. The information regarding all the transaction conducted in all the respective](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-14-320.jpg)
![Introduction to Blockchain Technology 5
blocks is stored in the user’s storage disk. So, the information on whatever transaction
is done in the network of bitcoin is stored, and also, it authenticates the transaction
done by the previous blocks. All the transactions done are verified, and accordingly,
all the nodes are rewarded. This process can be referred to as mining, and this can
further be established through proof of work which is considered as one of the crucial
technologies in the blockchain. A consensus is reached between all the nodes when
all the transactions are completed successfully. A chain is created between all the
nodes by creating the linkage between new blocks and previous blocks. This is known
as a public ledger technique in the bitcoin referred to as Blockchain where there is a
block of chains.
Blockchain is the technology of Bitcoin which is decentralized in nature. It is
specifically designed to distribute and transmit currency for the operators of the
Bitcoin. In this technology without any intervention of third party, public ledger can
be supported which was previously not executed [3]. The main benefit of Blockchain
technology is that once the data has been accepted by all nodes, the data stored
in the public ledger cannot be altered or obliterated. This is the main reason that
Blockchain technology is well known due to its feature of security and data integrity.
There are so many other uses of Blockchain technology in other areas as well. For
example, in the case of cloud service, an environment can be created for doing the
digital transaction and sharing data on peer-to-peer basis [3]. The unique feature of
Blockchain technology is the integrity of data and that is the prime factor why this
technology is so successful and applied to other services and applications as well.
Figure 2 shows the basic architecture of a Blockchain system.
There are certain technological limitation and challenges which have been iden-
tified in the Blockchain technology. Swan [3] has presented certain technical
challenges and limitations so that in the future this technology can be adapted
accordingly:
• Throughput: The prime issue in the Blockchain technology is potential throughput
and now it extended to 7tps (transaction per second). Certain other networks are
procession which is VISA (2000tps) and Twitter (5000tps). The throughput is
required to be maintained when the frequency in the network rises to a similar
level.
Fig. 2 Architecture of Blockchain that consists of different blocks in a sequential manner](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-15-320.jpg)
![6 G. Singh et al.
• Latency: Around 10 min is consumed in completing one transaction so that suffi-
cient security for the transaction block in the case of Bitcoin can be created. More
time has to be devoted to a block so that efficiency can be achieved in security,
as it has to compensate for the charge of double expenditure attacks. When the
money is spent more than once, then the result generated is double-spending [12].
Bitcoin can help the user in case of double-spending by authenticating each trans-
action which is added to the block, ensuring that no previous inputs have been
spent in the previous transactions [12]. So, in the present situation, latency has
been considered a big issue. While the security is made, in seconds the transaction
should be completed by making the blocks. For example, in the case of VISA,
the transaction can be completed within a few seconds, which is beneficial in
comparison to Blockchain.
• Size and bandwidth: In February 2016, the network size of the Bitcoin is over
50,000 MB (February 2016). In each year, the capability of the Blockchain to
grow is 214 PB, when the throughput is increased to the level of VISA. The size
of the one block is 1 MB which is assumed by the community of the Blockchain,
and every 10 min the block is created [13], due to which there is a restriction in
the amount of transaction that can be controlled at one point of time (on middling
500 operations in one block) [14]. The issues of the size and bandwidth have to
be resolved if the technology of Blockchain needs to handle a greater number of
transactions.
• Security: At present, the possibility of an attack on the Blockchain is around 51%.
In the case of 51%, attack on the entire network of mining hash rate will be fully
controlled by the single entity, and accordingly, it will be able to influence the
Blockchain. So, more in-depth study and research are necessary to resolve the
issue of security [15].
• Wasted resources: Huge amount of energy is wasted when the mining of bitcoin
is done ($15 million/day). The proof-of-work effort is creating the waste in case
of Bitcoin. In the field of the industry, some alternatives are present such as proof
of stake. With the help of proof of work, we can determine how much work is
accomplished by the miner [16]. For example, somebody can mine around 1% of
proof-of-stake Blockchain if they are holding 1% of Blockchain [16]. To make
the mining more effective, the issue with the waste resources needs to be resolved.
• Usability: It is quite difficult in case Bitcoin API develops the services. In the
case of Blockchain, it is required to cultivate additional user-friendly API. This
can have a resemblance to the REST APIs.
• Versioning, hard forks, multiple chains: The possibility of attack is higher that is
around 51% when the small chain is comprised of small nodes. One more issue
that can emerge is when the administrative or versioning purpose chain is split.
So, if we look at the overall perspective, this technology has the capability to alter
any transaction the way it is piloted on a day-to-day basis. Additionally, the applica-
tion of Blockchain is not only confined to cryptocurrencies, but it can be applied in
variousotherdomainswherethetransactioncanbedone.So,authorsarequitecurious
to explore the different dimensions of the Blockchain, but presently Blockchain has](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-16-320.jpg)
![Introduction to Blockchain Technology 7
many limitations and threats as well. There are three features, i.e., anonymity, data
integrity, and security characteristics, which are creating a lot of challenges, and
these domains need to be answered and also evaluated with high excellence explo-
ration. In the future, one more issue that requires attention for research is scalability.
Hence, it becomes quite important to explore and understand how much research is
conducted in the Blockchain and for that collecting and gathering all the important
literature and relevant research available in the field. So, based on the research, we
can understand the challenges and limitations have been addressed and resolved and
also understand the various areas that need attention in the field of Blockchain at the
moment [17].
Previously, most of the transactions were focusing on the third party for validation
during the online transaction of digital assets but now the existing market in case
of Blockchain technology can be applied in the domain of both financial and non-
financial transactions. In the year 1994, there was one more application that was
invented by Nick Szabo named “Smart Contracts.” It was rather a wonderful idea
that the participating parties can automatically execute the contract between them.
Conversely, until the idea of cryptocurrency did not come into existence, this idea was
not very functional and in use. When the pre-programmed conditions of a contractual
agreement are triggered, both Blockchain and smart contract applications can work
simultaneously. In the world of cryptocurrencies, smart contracts are the killer of this
respective application. Certain protocols are automatically enforced by computers
and these are smart contracts.
With the help of Blockchain technology, the task to register, authenticate, and
implement smart contracts has become much calmer. Many companies are open
source in nature like Ethereum and Codius which enables smart contracts to use
Blockchain technology. Many companies are currently working on technologies of
bitcoin and Blockchain which are providing support to smart contracts [18].
There are many situations where assets can only be transferred when certain
conditions are fulfilled and it requires lawyers for the creation of agreement and
bankstodeliverescrowservicewhichcanbesubstitutedbysmartcontracts.Ethereum
due to its capability of the programmable platform was able to generate curiosity.
Ethereum cryptocurrency can be created by anyone and it can be implemented to
pay in case of smart contracts. To pay for the other or additional services, ether is
the own cryptocurrencies of Ethereum. There is a wide range of applications in the
case of Ethereum which includes governance, autonomous banks, keyless access,
crowdfunding, financial derivatives trading, and expenditure using smart contracts.
Not only cryptocurrencies are available but numerous Blockchains are available so
that a wide range of applications can be supported. At present, three approaches are
available in the industry which can also support the other applications and can help to
overcome the estimated limitation of Bitcoin Blockchain [19]. On a particular digital
asset to attain the consensus at the distributed level, a system of Blockchain algorithm
is used which can be referred to as an alternative Blockchain. Merged mining is the
process where the miners can be shared with the parent network. Various applications
are suggested to be implemented which include DNS, SSL certification authority,
file storage, and voting.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-17-320.jpg)
![8 G. Singh et al.
On the top of bitcoin Blockchain by employing the functionalities beyond the
creation of digital assets, there one open source named as a colored coin demonstrates
the different methods for developers for the creation of digital assets. Side chains are
alternative Blockchains that are supported by Bitcoins through bitcoin contract—as
gold hacks some dollars and pounds.
There is a possibility of having thousands of side chains attached to Bitcoin each
having diverse features and purposes—all of them fetching the benefit of scarcity and
resilience guaranteed by Bitcoin Blockchain. Once all the alternative Blockchains
are tried and tested, Bitcoin Blockchain can repeat and it can support the additional
features as well.
3 Technological Applications
3.1 Applications in Financial Domain
(a) Private Securities
In the case of making the company public, it is a very costly affair. Many processes
have to be performed by the syndicates of the bank which includes the process of
underwriting and attracting different investors. The companies which are listed under
the stock exchanges are sharing with the secondary market to function properly in
case of a trade setting and well in time. By using the technology of Blockchain,
corporations can unswervingly distribute the shares to the people. The shares which
are on the top of the Blockchain can be directly purchased and sold in the secondary
market. Some of the examples regarding this are given as below:
NASDAQ Private Equity: In the year 2014, NASDAQ has launched its private
equity. This has been launched for some pre-IPO and private companies for the
provision of crucial functionalities like cap table and investor relationship manage-
ment. As multiple third parties are involved in the procedure of trading stocks in
the interchange process, the process is quite slow and inefficient [20]. There is a
joint partnership between NASDAQ and a new start-up known as chain.com for the
implementation of private equity on top of the Blockchain. To implement exchange
functionality, chain.com is doing it through Blockchain-based smart contracts. The
performance of this merchandise is anticipated to fast, noticeable, and efficient. By
using Blockchain as counterparty in implementation, Medici is developed as a secu-
rity exchange. The main focus is the creation of the stock market which is cutting
edge. Through the counterparty protocol, the traditional financial instrument can
be implemented as the self-executing smart contracts. The requirement of physical
contract is eliminated due to these smart contracts. Various contracts can be negoti-
ated and facilitated, and it can be enforced and also eliminated the requirement of a
third party as a mediator which includes broker, exchange, or bank.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-18-320.jpg)
![Introduction to Blockchain Technology 9
To address the various issues which are related to alternative cryptocurrencies
such as fragmentation and security, an open-source project is introduced with the
main emphasis on the side chain. Its uses can vary from security registration, such
as stocks, bonds, and derivatives, for ensuring the security in bank balance and
mortgages.
There is a new New York-based Bitcoin exchange known as CoinStarter. This
Bitcoin exchange is working on a project referred to as Highline, whereby the help
of Blockchain technology financial transaction is cleared and settled in T + 10 min
in contrast to customary T + 3 or T + 2 days.
There is more market that is decentralized in nature known as Augur through
which users can purchase and sell shares by predicting the probability of the vents
that it will occur in the future. So, based on the “Wisdom of crowds,” it can also be
employed to make the financial transactions and economic forecast.
There are digital tokens also named Bit shares that re-side the Blockchain and
reference-specific assets such as currencies or commodities. It provides unique
features to the token holders who can earn interest in commodities, such as gold
and oil, as well as dollars, euros, and currency instruments.
(b) Insurance
Blockchain can register those assets which are unique and can be recognized by
one or more identifiers and which are challenging to abolish or duplicate. This can
further be utilized in authenticating the possession of a strong and also locating the
history of the transaction. Any possessions (corporeal or digitally such as real estate,
automobiles, physical assets, laptops, other valuables) can be validated by the insurer,
and also, it can be registered and owned by the Blockchain [21].
A permanent ledger of diamond certification is done by the company known as
Everledger, and also, the transaction history can be traced. The unique features of
the diamond which differentiate from others such as height, width, weight, depth,
and color are recorded and hashed in the Blockchain. These diamonds can be veri-
fied by insurance companies by enforcing the different laws through enforcement
agencies, owners, and claimants. Web service API can be easily used in the case
of Everledger for verifying the diamond, cresting, and updating its claim by the
insurance companies and in the same police reports can be done.
3.2 Applications in Non-financial Domain
(a) Notary Public
Blockchain can verify the authenticity of the various documents and eliminates the
requirement for centralized authority. The service of document certification will
surely benefit in the proof of ownership (who authored it), proof of existence (at a
certain time), and proof of integrity (not tampered) of the documents.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-19-320.jpg)
![10 G. Singh et al.
These services are legally bounded as it can be authenticated by the third party
and also counterfeit-proof. Blockchain technology can be used for notarization which
helps in ensuring the document’s privacy. With the help of cryptographic hashes of
different files in the Blockchain, time stamping of the notary can be bought to the
next higher level. Blockchain technology can also help in eliminating the required
notarization fees which are quite expensive and not appropriate ways of transferring
the document [22].
A thorough Blockchain company named as Stampery is mailing any files. Each
email is certified by emailing specifically to individual customers by creating an indi-
vidual email for them. There are many law firms which are employing the technology
of Stampery’s for the authentication of documents in a cost-effective way.
For the notary service, one of the companies known as Viacoin is used for the
clearance of protocol. By using TestNet3 or Bitcoin Network, proof of existence can
be created by as iOS app referred to as Block Notary.
Documents can be notarized with the help of a trivial number of bitcoins so that
it can be recorded in the public Blockchain and for this Crypto Public Notary.
There is another service known as proof of existence which is employing
Blockchain to SHA256 digest of the document.
With the help of Blockchain, Ascribe is a company that is involved in authorship
certification. With attribution to the original author, the ownership of the service can
also be transferred.
(b) Applications of Blockchain in the Music Industry
In the past few decades, there is a tremendous transformation in the music industry
due to digitalization; streaming services have raised to the next level and also
increased awareness about Internet services. This transformation has influenced
everybody in the music business starting from artists, labels, publishers, songwriters,
and also other facility benefactors which are giving streaming services. Because of
the emergence of the Internet, the process of determining the royalties has become
more complex and has given rise to the demand for transparency in the royalty
payments by both artists and songwriters [23].
This is one domain where Blockchain technology plays a crucial role. With the
help of this technology, a comprehensive and accurate distributed database can be
maintained which records all the rights of music ownership in a public ledger.
Smart contracts can determine the rights of ownership and additionally regarding
the right of ownership. The relationship between different stakeholders is defined,
and interactions between them are automated with the help of smart contracts.
4 Decentralized Proof of the Existence of Documents
In case of any legal solution, it is very crucial to validate the existence of the
post-session of the signed documents [24]. Some security challenges are present](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-20-320.jpg)
![Introduction to Blockchain Technology 11
in the traditional document validation model which put forth central authorities for
storing and for the validation of documents. It became more difficult for these as the
documents become older.
ThetechnologyofBlockchainisgivingthealternativemodelforproofofexistence
and also regarding the ownership of legitimate forms. Online proof of the different
documents can be secured anonymously with the help of the service known as proof
of existence. When the user submits the document at the same time, this service
of proof of existence stores the cryptographic digest of the file. It has to be taken
into consideration that cryptographic digest or fingerprint is deposited and not the
real document. In this domain, the user is not required to take tension regarding the
privacy aspect and securing the information. At a certain point in time later on, it is
allowed to certify the existence of the document. The signature and timestamp which
are related to the legal document can easily be stored by leveraging the technology
of the Blockchain and can be authenticated by native Blockchain mechanisms [25].
The main pros of this service are that it permits its user to maintain the security
and privacy that permit the handler to maintain dispersed proof of document which
cannot be a midwife by the third party. So, the document’s existence is authenticated
by employing the technology of Blockchain which does not rely upon the single
centralized entity.
4.1 Decentralized Storage
To store the different types of files such as photos, videos, and music files, there are
different types of cloud file storage such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or One Drive
which are gaining the attention of many individuals. However, they are gaining the
attention and interest of the people despite that cloud file storage has a limitation of
security, privacy, and data control. The foremost problem is that even in the case of
confidential files one has to trust the third party.
Peer-to-peer distributed cloud storage platforms can be provided by Blockchain
technology known as Storj which facilitates the user to exchange and transfer the
data without depending upon the third party. Users can be benefited in such scenarios
whereunusualbandwidthcanbeusedandalsopersonalspaceinthePCcanbeutilized
for the purpose of micropayment based on Bitcoin [26].
Security, privacy, and data control are significantly increased if the central control
is absent, and also, it eliminates the most conservative data failures and outages. For
the proper participation in the network, Storj’s platform is employed which relies
upon a challenging algorithm to offer incentivization.
So, in this style, the integrity and availability of files can be checked cryptographi-
cally with the help of Storj and also offering the rewards in a direct way to the people
maintaining the file. In a similar example, we can see that both an incentive and
method of payment can be done by the bitcoin-based micropayments; on the other
hand, separate Blockchain is used for the metadata file.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-21-320.jpg)
![12 G. Singh et al.
4.2 Decentralized IoT
The Internet of Things (IoT) is gaining attention and it is becoming quite prevalent
technology in both domains such as consumer and enterprise space [27, 28]. There are
many platforms of IoT which are based on the centralized model in which the control
and interaction between the devices are controlled by the broker or hub. However,
therearemanysituationsinwhichthisapproachisquiteimpracticalwherethedevices
are required to alteration of data among themselves independently. This specific
need leads to efforts toward decentralized IoT platforms. The implementation of
decentralized IoT platforms can be facilitated with the help of Blockchain technology
which includes record keeping and secured and trusted data exchange. In this type
of architecture, the general ledger is served by the Blockchain technology, which
maintains the trusted record of all the messages in a decentralized typology between
smart devices.
ADEPT (Autonomous Decentralized Peer-to-Peer Telemetry) is a platform that
is jointly developed by IBM and Samsung and which uses the design if the bitcoins
and distributed networks of devices are built or decentralized Internet of Things
(IoT). There are three protocols which are used in ADEPT: BitTorrent (file sharing),
Ethereum (smart contracts), and Telehash (peer-to-peer messaging).
The filament is a startup that provides a decentralized IoT software stack that uses
the bitcoin Blockchain to enable devices to hold unique identities on a public ledger.
4.3 Blockchain Based on Anti-counterfeit Solutions
In contemporary business, one of the prevalent challenges is counterfeiting. Rather,
if we talk specifically, one of the biggest problems digital commerce facing in today’s
scenario is the problem of counterfeiting. The solution to this problem is the depen-
dency on the third party which brings into a scenario the logical friction between
merchants and consumers.
This issue of counterfeiting mechanism can be handled by the Blockchain tech-
nology by providing its decentralized implementation and security capabilities. A
situation can be assumed where all merchants, different brands, and markets share
a system of Blockchain with different nodes where the evidence can be stored
and authenticity can be validated of the product. By employing the technology of
Blockchain, the supply chain stakeholders will not depend on the centralized entity
for validating the exclusive products.
Anti-counterfeit solutions can be provided with the help of Blockchain technology
using block verify that has presented the transparency to the supply chain. There are
various applications in different domains such as in the pharmaceutical, luxury items,
and diamonds and electronics industries.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-22-320.jpg)
![Introduction to Blockchain Technology 13
5 Blockchain in Internet Domain
There is one alternative Blockchain technology named as Namecoin having small
variations by the help, of which decentralized version of DNS (domain name system)
canbeimplementedwhichisirrepressibletosuppression.Atpresent,theDNSservers
are mainly well ordered by administrations and large establishments; in case of
consumer’s Internet usage, the powers can be abused to censor the power, hijack,
or spy. By using the technology of Blockchain, the phonebook or Internet’s DNS
can be sustained in a decentralized manner and respective users can save the same
phonebook records on their workstation.
For digitally managing the certificates and for the centralized distribution, the
technology of public key infrastructure is widely used. For the verification of the
digital certificate, each device is required to have origin credential of the certifica-
tion authority (CA) [29]; although the technology of PKI was very successful and
widely deployed, the issue of scalability makes it dependent on CA. The features of
the Blockchain can facilitate and help to resolve some of the issues of the PKI by
employing the feature of Keyless Security Infrastructure (KSI).
The cryptographic hash function is used in the case of KPI, which allows the
confirmation to depend on solitary on the safety of hash functions and also the
Blockchain availability.
5.1 Risks of Adoption
This technology of Blockchain is quite promising and breakthrough. As previously
also we have discussed that, some numerous applications or problems can be solved
with the help of Blockchain technology, starting to form financial (remittance to
investment banking) to the domain of non-financial applications like notary services.
Furthermost of the innovations are fundamental. As it happened due to the adop-
tion of radical innovation, there is a probability of a certain risk associated with
it.
5.2 Behavior Change
The only permanent thing in this world is change, which is permanent, and it is quite
obvious to have resistance toward this change. Customers are required to have the
awareness that the electronic transfer they are doing is safe, secure, and complete in
the present situation of a non-tangible third party. There will be a transformation in
the roles and responsibilities of the intermediaries as well like Visa or Mastercard
(in case of credit cards). It can be assumed shortly that these firms will also invest in
this technology and all their platforms will also be moving toward Blockchain-based](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-23-320.jpg)
![14 G. Singh et al.
platforms. Further, to maintain customer relationships, these firms will continue to
provide services.
5.3 Scaling
There is a challenge that the services are at the nascent stage and based on the
technology of the Blockchain. As an individual we have to assume that we are doing
blockchain transactions for the very first time. In this case, a person is required to
download the entire set of Blockchain and has to authenticate it before doing the first
business. This can take many hours as the number of blocks increases exponentially
[30].
5.4 Bootstrapping
If we have to move the existing document or business document framework to the
new methodology of the Blockchain, it put forth the significant set of tasks related to
the migration which needs to be executed. If we take an example of the ownership in
real estate, existing documents that are still lying in the country or escrow companies
required to be transferred to the Blockchain which is in the equivalent form. This
process may involve a huge amount of time and costs [31].
5.5 Government Regulations
In the advent of technology and a new era of transaction which are based on
Blockchain technology, FTC and SEC are some government agencies which may
reduce the pace of the adoption process by introducing new laws and monitoring
and regulating the different organizations for compliances [27]. So accordingly, the
facility of the adoption in the USA can be adopted as most of the agencies have
gained the trust of their customer. Although the economies are more controlled like
China, the process of adoption will have some significant challenges.
5.6 Fraudulent Activities
If we look at the pseudonymous feature of this technology named as Blockchain,
which is considered as easy going with valuables, the same features can be misused
by some individuals for fraudulent activities like money trafficking. So, we have
to understand that to protect these activities and to minimize fraudulent activities,](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-24-320.jpg)
![Introduction to Blockchain Technology 15
strong laws, regulations, and technology support laws are required and some law
enforcement agencies will be required to monitor and supervise [32].
5.7 Quantum Computing
It has been observed that it is quite impossible if we calculate mathematically and
then, it is quite difficult for a single party as the more computer power is required
in case of Blockchain technology. With the help of the sheer brute force approach,
the keys in the domain of cryptographic keys can be easily cracked due to the future
advancement in the quantum of computers. Due to this, the entire system will come
on the knees. On the contrary, there is an agreement that these cryptographic keys
will become stronger and it becomes difficult for them to crack [28].
5.8 Corporate Funding and Interest
Intheyear2015,thecurrencyofbitcoinhasreachedthehighestleveloverSeptember–
October in both the domains which include price and volume. This new era of digital
currency is gaining momentum in both the places which include customer market-
place and tradable security and also with the different regulators. People are very
enthusiastic as more and more capitals are injected into the digital infrastructure. The
level of excitement is growing gradually for the Bitcoin and Blockchain as organiza-
tions have acknowledged around US$1 billion of record investment in the year 2015
came to an end. There are numerous companies such as American Express, Bain
Capital, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, MasterCard, and the New York Life Insurance
Company who have invested millions of dollars into bitcoin recently [33].
It has been analyzed that many corporate houses and industries have started
showing interest in the technology Blockchain and bitcoin infrastructure in different
segments. For the creation of a more secure and efficient system for stock trading,
NASDAQ has come up with tapping technology in the domain of Blockchain. A
company known as DocuSign, specialized in the electronic markets, has just revealed
the joint idea to utilize the Blockchain to track the rental of the car and also to mini-
mizethepaperwork[24].Microsofthasalsorevealedtheideaofitsventurewithsmart
contracts that are using the technology of Blockchain. At the same time, the curiosity
level for the Blockchain technology has gone to such a height that many companies
are even conducting a different experiment by creating the different smaller “private
Blockchain” inside their office premises. For example, many firms are hiring different
companies such as Block Cypher, which is a start-up of Redwood City, California,
and working in the domain of creation of the Blockchain technology within their
own office and business premises [34].](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-25-320.jpg)
![16 G. Singh et al.
6 Conclusion
Bitcoin cryptocurrency is handled by Blockchain technology. This is a platform and
the environment is decentralized in nature, whereas in the public ledger system all the
transactions are recorded and can be seen by all the participants. The main focus of
Blockchain technology is to provide anonymity, security, privacy, and transparency
to all the people using it. But, despite these features, there are many challenges and
limitations which need to be resolved. To explore and understand the latest position
of Blockchain technology, authors have used the process of systematic mapping in
which all the recent research conducted in the domain of Blockchain technology
has been explored [4]. The main aim of this systematic mapping was to explore the
existing status of Blockchain technology and various areas where future researches
can be conducted. We have only involved in the technical perspective in this study;
rather, economic, law, business, and regulation perspectives have not been taken into
consideration. Many papers are extracted from the scientific database and through
which authors have tried to analyze the data. Based on the study conducted through
different papers, authors have recommended the scope for future research in the
domain of Blockchain technology based on understanding the current status done in
the domain of Blockchain technology.
• Identifying issues and challenges in Blockchain technology and suggestion solu-
tions to address these issues. Since 2013, it has been analyzed that Blockchain
technology has gained momentum and it drastically increased in every sphere.
There are many types of research which were conducted in this domain and every
year the number of papers and researches conducted in this area increased. Out
of the researches done in the concerned area, majority of the paper was stressing
upon the challenges and limitations in the area, but still, there are so many issues
that are still not addressed.
• More research is required to address the issue of scalability in Blockchain. After
analyzing and extracting the information from different research papers, it has
been identified that majority of the current research is dedicated to security
and privacy issues. If the Blockchain technology is implemented in a pervasive
manner, the issue of scalability which includes performance and latency needs to
be addressed.
• More Blockchain application beyond Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency needs to be
developed.
This study has mainly focused on one application of Blockchain which is Bitcoin.
Additionally, the study has also addressed the other applications of Blockchain
technology such as smart contracts, property licensing, and voting. To address the
different challenges and limitations in the domain of Blockchain technology, many
researchers have recommended just a brief solution but these solutions have a deficit
on the part of the concrete evaluation on the part of their effectiveness.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-26-320.jpg)
![Introduction to Blockchain Technology 17
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-FT.com.”FinancialTimes.N.p.,1 Nov. 2015. Web. 03 May 2016
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![20 S. K. Singh et al.
1 Introduction
Blockchain technology was made by a person (or group of people) named Satoshi
Nakamoto that provides the open business manuscript to the cryptocurrency bitcoin.
The development of the digital ledger for virtual currency (bitcoin) prepared it the
foremost electronic money to resolve the risk of digital currency which can be spent
twice, i.e., double spending difficulty not having the requirement of reliable officials
or essential servers. Blockchain is a rising file of records, known blocks, which are
connected with cryptography. Every block holds a digital fingerprint or a hash value
of the preceding block, operational information, and sequence of information as a
time stamp usually displayed as a Merkle tree.
Intentionally, a cryptographic ledger is opposed to the tempering of the facts.
Basically it is a public transaction ledger that is able to store the business details
among the two parties proficiently also in a provable plus everlasting technique.
To employ as a cryptographic ledger, a distributed ledger is normally headed by a
(p2p Web) or peer-to-peer arrangements jointly hold on to a procedure in support of
inter-node transmission as well as to authenticate latest blocks [1].
Blockchain has pulled focus as the succeeding production monetary machinery
because of its safety that suits the computerization age. Particularly, it gives protec-
tion through the validation of peers to dispense virtual money, encryption, and the
generationofahashvaluethatidentifiesthecontents.Followingtheworldwidemone-
tary business, the future merchandise for safety-based digital ledger technology is
possible to grow up near about US Dollar twenty billion in 2020.
Blockchain is able to supply advanced security compared to keeping the entire
information into a centralized database. In the case of the records repository space as
well as managing features, database damage from attacks can be prohibited. Further-
more, seeing as the public transaction ledger has unrestricted features that can make
available transparent with some condition in information at what time apply to region
indispensable to exposé the data. Blockchain has a number of facilities, so it can be
fruitful if utilized in different sectors including the monetary area and the Internet
of things (IoT) background as well as we are expecting to increase its applications
[2–5].
The public transaction ledger completes business records during the required
work verification procedure, once a human being who lending digital money creates
a block by merging the dealings over the related network.
The highly unique hash code is next produced by confirming it moreover linking
the preceding record of the transaction block. Each block could be recognized by a
hash which is created using the SHA256 algorithm that blocks at regular intervals
simplified and reflected on the electronic money operation facts contribute to the
main current business transaction detail block. This course of action provides safety
to the business transaction of electronic cash and allows utilizing of dependable
machinery [6–8].
Cloud customers demand for the services from the cloud service providers. CSPs
are third parties that provide cloud storage services to their customers. Several other](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-30-320.jpg)
![Cloud Computing Security Using Blockchain Technology 21
third-party service providers are Third Party Auditor and Attribute Authority that
are hypothetical to provide safety functionalities in the cloud. As we all know that
safety and faith are the most significant and essential issues while benefitting the
organizations and institutions with cloud [9, 10].
Cloud customer’s data are on the highest threat which can be misplaced, revealed,
or attacked but they do not have any choice to come out of this substandard position.
Cloud customers do not even know of to whom they are interacting with or sharing
their valuable data. Transparency is also a very serious concern, and cloud customers
do not have any idea about the users of their data and how the data is roaming within
the cloud. Cloud environment-based computing has been implemented in several
information technology-based environments because of its effectiveness as well
as accessibility. Furthermore, cloud safety plus confidentiality concerns have been
discussed in respect of significant protection elements like privacy, righteousness,
validation, admittance control, and many more [11].
Our research work studies and surveys the blockchain machinery by analyzing
generic (provide services in software applications) technology and research trends.
The outcome of this study could provide significant base information in the study
of digital ledger. Hence we can motivate and encourage the improvement in future
expectations of distributed ledger machinery by comprehension of the inclination of
public transaction ledger safety measures in the cloud environment.
The rest of the research work in this chapter is structured in the following manner.
InthechapterofSect.2,weareestablishingthebasicconceptofblockchain.Section3
presents a detailed argument on blockchain security as well as improved blockchain.
Sections 4 and 5 proposes secure blockchain solutions in cloud computing. In the
end, we conclude our study in Sect. 6.
2 Structure of Blockchain
A cryptographic ledger is a not centralized, ledger in distributed form, and frequently
public transaction ledger, a digitalized ledger that is used to hold transactions across
various computers so that any concerned record cannot be misrepresented. This
permits the participators to test and audit transactions autonomously and compara-
tively inexpensive. A blockchain database is handled autonomously using a network
and a distributed time stamp server. The use of a cryptographic ledger takes away the
feature of unlimited duplicability from a digital ledger. It approves that every value of
the unit is transmitted merely one time, removing the time-consuming standing diffi-
culty. A cryptographic ledger can maintain title rights and has portrayed as a protocol
of value-exchange [12]. The digital ledger is a mechanics that permits each associate
to maintain a book holding the whole business transaction information and to revise
their books to preserve reliability when there is the latest business transaction. Each
and every one associate to validate the dependability of a business transaction which
is possible just because of Internet and encryption technologies. The blockchain has](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-31-320.jpg)
![22 S. K. Singh et al.
agent-free features since rights of the business deal information by several individ-
uals make hacking complicated, safety expenditure is reduced, business transactions
are mechanically accepted as well as keep recorded by a group of members, plus
swiftness be guaranteed. Furthermore, the scheme could be simply executed, linked
also extended with the help of public resource plus operation files could be publically
retrieved to put together the operations open and minimize authoritarian expenditure
[13].
The public transaction ledger, primarily blockchain which is a rising list of files
also called blocks and linked using cryptography, i.e., an arrangement that is the
combination or composed of a block body with a block header. Block header incor-
porates the code of hash values of the preceding and recent record books plus number
which is difficult to find, meets the difficult level restrictions, i.e., nonce (number
used only once added to hashed or encrypted block) value. Using the index function,
the record book data are explored in the database, even though the record book does
not include the code of hash value of subsequent record book as displayed in Fig. 1.
As the code of hash values kept in every peer inside the record book is pompous
through the previous values of record books, this is not easy to forge as well as
modify the recorded records [14].
In the above Fig. 1, blockchain block holds the main data which depends on
the code of hash value of current record book, the code of hash value of previous
record book, time stamp which is the duration of record book creation, and other
information, i.e., nonce value, the user defines data and block signature.
Verification based on public key with a hash function is used to offer safety in
the cryptographic ledger. Algorithm of curve digital signature permitted the digital
signature produced for the period of a business transaction among persons is used
to provide evidence that the business transaction facts have not been altered [15].
Using blockchain there are various in-progress studies to make stronger safety in
the cloud environment. The main significant part of the digital ledger is associated
with the personal key utilization in encryption for safety. An aggressor attempts a
“reuse attack” and an additional ambush in order to crack the bitcoin to acquire the
Fig. 1 Blockchain structure](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/96213-250501131425-3d21f0f2/85/Transforming-Cybersecurity-Solutions-Using-Blockchain-Rashmi-Agrawal-32-320.jpg)
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- 6. This book series aims to provide details of blockchain implementation in technology and interdisciplinary fields such as Medical Science, Applied Mathematics, Environmental Science, Business Management, and Computer Science. It covers an in-depth knowledge of blockchain technology for advance and emerging future technologies. It focuses on the Magnitude: scope, scale & frequency, Risk: security, reliability trust, and accuracy, Time: latency & timelines, utilization and implementation details of blockchain technologies. While Bitcoin and cryptocurrency might have been the first widely known uses of blockchain technology, but today, it has far many applications. In fact, blockchain is revolutionizing almost every industry. Blockchain has emerged as a disruptive technology, which has not only laid the foundation for all crypto-currencies, but also provides beneficial solutions in other fields of technologies. The features of blockchain technology include decentralized and distributed secure ledgers, recording transactions across a peer-to-peer network, creating the potential to remove unintended errors by providing transparency as well as accountability. This could affect not only the finance technology (crypto-currencies) sector, but also other fields such as: Crypto-economics Blockchain Enterprise Blockchain Blockchain Travel Industry Embedded Privacy Blockchain Blockchain Industry 4.0 Blockchain Smart Cities, Blockchain Future technologies, Blockchain Fake news Detection, Blockchain Technology and It’s Future Applications Implications of Blockchain technology Blockchain Privacy Blockchain Mining and Use cases Blockchain Network Applications Blockchain Smart Contract Blockchain Architecture Blockchain Business Models Blockchain Consensus Bitcoin and Crypto currencies, and related fields The initiatives in which the technology is used to distribute and trace the communication start point, provide and manage privacy, and create trustworthy environment, are just a few examples of the utility of blockchain technology, which also highlight the risks, such as privacy protection. Opinion on the utility of blockchain technology has a mixed conception. Some are enthusiastic; others believe that it is merely hyped. Blockchain has also entered the sphere of humanitarian and development aids e.g. supply chain management, digital identity, smart contracts and many more. This book series provides clear concepts and applications of Blockchain technology and invites experts from research centers, academia, industry and government to contribute to it. If you are interested in contributing to this series, please contact msingh@endicott.ac.kr OR loyola.dsilva@springer.com More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/16276
- 7. Rashmi Agrawal · Neha Gupta Editors Transforming Cybersecurity Solutions Using Blockchain
- 8. Editors Rashmi Agrawal Faculty of Computer Applications Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies Faridabad, Haryana, India Neha Gupta Faculty of Computer Applications Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies Faridabad, Haryana, India ISSN 2661-8338 ISSN 2661-8346 (electronic) Blockchain Technologies ISBN 978-981-33-6857-6 ISBN 978-981-33-6858-3 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6858-3 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore
- 9. Contents Introduction to Blockchain Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Gurinder Singh, Vikas Garg, and Pooja Tiwari Cloud Computing Security Using Blockchain Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Santosh Kumar Singh, P. K. Manjhi, and R. K. Tiwari An Introduction to Blockchain Technology and Their Applications in the Actuality with a View of Its Security Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Reinaldo Padilha França, Ana Carolina Borges Monteiro, Rangel Arthur, and Yuzo Iano Blockchain-Based Cyber Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Snehlata Barde Secured Storage and Verification of Documents Using Blockchain Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Soma Prathibha, T. R. Sona, and J. Krishna Priya Blockchain-Based Access Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 P. Leela Rani, A. R. Guru Gokul, and N. Devi A Comparative Investigation of Consensus Algorithms in Collaboration with IoT and Blockchain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Alankrita Aggarwal, Shivani Gaba, and Mamta Mittal Smart Contract Deployment in Ethereum Learning Made Easy . . . . . . . . 141 Mayank Aggarwal, Vishal Goar, and Nagendra Singh Yadav Blockchain-Based Smart and Secure Healthcare System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Sheikh Mohammad Idrees, Iflah Aijaz, Parul Agarwal, and Roshan Jameel Blockchain for Automotive Security and Privacy with Related Use Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 M. Karthiga, S. S. Nandhini, R. M. Tharsanee, M. Nivaashini, and R. S. Soundariya v
- 10. vi Contents Blockchain Technology: Developers Cultivate Novel Applications for Societal Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Sheetal Zalte and Rajanish Kamat
- 11. Introduction to Blockchain Technology Gurinder Singh , Vikas Garg , and Pooja Tiwari Abstract In recent years, many technologies have emerged as a result of techno- logical innovation. In the past few years, Blockchain technology or the technology of secure ledger has gained much attention. In the field of computing, Blockchain technology has been characterized as the fifth disruptive innovation. In a way, we can say that it is a distributed ledger of records which are absolute and certifiable. The technology of Blockchain is fundamentally a record of the distributed database or it is a public ledger of all the dealings or proceedings that are executed digitally and shared with other entries that are participating. Every transaction made in the public ledger is certified by mutual agreement of all the contributors in the arrangement. And after the entry of the information, it can never be erased. Each transaction made in the system can be easily verified and recorded in the case of Blockchain technology. After the advent of Blockchain technology in the year 2008, the concept of Blockchain technologyhasbeenusedandappliedinmanydifferentways.Theinterestinthistech- nology has increased due to its unique attributes and features of providing security, secrecy, and integrity of data without the intervention of the third party controlling the transaction, and therefore, it motivates many researchers to research to under- stand this technology by understanding its challenges, applications, and limitations. The most visible impact of the Blockchain technology can be witnessed as a multi- tude of cryptocurrencies that have emerged up. Furthermore, it is quite pertinent that the application of Blockchain technology is far ahead of cryptocurrency and much deeper than simple distributed ledger storage. This technology has been used by many sectors such as finance, manufacturing, education, and medicine to utilize the unique profits offered by this technology due to its unique technology. Blockchain technology offers unique benefits such as trust ability, collaboration, organization, V. Garg (B) Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India e-mail: vgarg@gn.amity.edu G. Singh · P. Tiwari ABES Engineering College, Ghaziabad, India e-mail: gsingh@amity.edu P. Tiwari e-mail: pooja.tiwari@abes.ac.in © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021 R. Agrawal and N. Gupta (eds.), Transforming Cybersecurity Solutions Using Blockchain, Blockchain Technologies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6858-3_1 1
- 12. 2 G. Singh et al. identification, credibility, and transparency. Additionally, Blockchain technology the most frequent use of Blockchain is in the area of finance and banking, and also many experiments have been done by big corporate in other domains as well. This chapter will focus on various sectors and areas where the Blockchain technology has an impact and also discusses future implementation in different sectors. Keywords Blockchain technology · Challenges · Future applications · Limitations 1 Introduction Blockchain is a technology that has a record of the distributed database or public ledgerofallthosedifferentproceedingsthatareimplementedandallthecontributions sharing it. The transaction that occurred is authenticated by most of the participants by agreeing. When the information is entered into the system, it cannot be undone. This technology comprises records of each transaction that is ever done in the system. The most popular technology which is well known is the bitcoin which is intrin- sically tied. In the recent past, it is also one of the most discussed phenomenon as it facilitates transactions of multibillion dollars of the global market without the restriction of government, due to which there are numerous issues of regulations that involve the government at the national level and other financial institutions. But in the past few years, the concept of Blockchain technology has been much discussed phenomena and completely non-controversial and is effectively executed in both financial and non-financial worlds. The distributed consensus model of the Blockchain has been considered as the most important invention in the era of the Internet itself according to “Marc Andreessen, the doyen of Silicon Valley’s capital- ists.” This economy is driven by the digital system and relied upon by some of the authority which is trusted in nature. When the transaction is done by any individual, it requires that it should trust some system—like it can be service of email providing the information that it is delivered, or it can be Facebook providing information that post is shared with everyone or it can be any financial transaction through the bank where one can get confirmation that money is transferred to a receiver in any part of the world. We can analyze that we are living in such kind of digital world where we have to rely upon a third party for security and privacy issues. However, the fact is that this source of the third source can be operated or hacked as well. At this point where the role of Blockchain technology comes into the picture, at present, the transaction system between two individuals and two companies is mostly centralized in nature and is controlled by a third party. Whenever we make digital payment, there is always an involvement of a third party so that transactions can be completed. Additionally, some extra charges are incurred from bank or a credit card company. A similar pattern is followed in another area also, for example, games, music, software, etc. This issue has been resolved by the advent of Blockchain technology. The main emphasis of this technology is to create an environment that is decentralized in nature, and there is no involvement of the third party in case of transaction and data [1].
- 13. Introduction to Blockchain Technology 3 This technology has a feature where it enables us to track every transaction done in the past and present with the help of distributed consensus, which can be veri- fied in the future. This is done even without conceding the confidentiality of third party’s intricate and digital assets. The prime features of Blockchain technology are distributed consensus and anonymity. Blockchain enables to maintain consistently increasing the data records which are inveterate by the different nodes contributing in it with the help of distributed database solution. Each transaction that is completed is recorded in a pubic ledger. Blockchain technology provides the solution which is decentralized in nature and it does not require any mediation by a third party. Information regarding each transaction done in the Blockchain is communicated to all the nodes participating in it. This feature of Blockchain technology makes it more transparent as compared to a centralized transaction which involves the mediation of the third party. Additionally, all the nodes in the Blockchain are anonymous, which enables the transaction to be more secure for other nodes. The first application that was introduced in Blockchain technology was Bitcoin. Bitcoin is the platform where goods are purchased and exchanged with the help of digital payment by creating a decentralized environment [2]. Although this technology seems very appropriate for conducting the transaction withthehelpofcryptocurrencies,stillithassometechnicalissuesandrestrictionsthat require some in-depth analysis and issues to be resolved. In the case of Blockchain, it is required that the nodes are kept private to protect them from attacks and to maintain a high level of security and transaction [3]. Additionally, computational power is also required in the Blockchain for the confirmation of the transaction. It becomes very imperative in this scenario to understand that what are the topics which have researched by the different authors and topics and area which needs more attention which is presenting threats and challenges for future studies. To explore and understand these questions, we have used systematic mapping to understand the study process [4] to find out the different work related to the field of Blockchain. Figure 1 shows the block structure of the Blockchain. Fig. 1 Block structure
- 14. 4 G. Singh et al. The materials in the scientific database can be searched with the help of executing the well-designed research protocol in case of a systematic mapping study. Based on currentresearchinthedomainofBlockchain,amapisproducedandotherresearchers will surely get benefited by understanding the future scope of research and ques- tions. Although many researches are conducted in the domain of cryptocurrencies which is also a topic of business and management, we have focused upon the tech- nical perspective of Blockchain. The main focus of the chapter is to understand the technical perspective of the Blockchain so our inclination is toward the different topics related to the technical perspective of the Blockchain which involves security, performance, data integrity, privacy, and scalability. This chapter has been organized into different sections. The first section is an intro- duction followed by Sect. 2 which discusses the Blockchain and Bitcoin. Further- more, authors have tried to discuss and present the challenges and few technical restrictions of Blockchain technology. Section 3 of this chapter has focused upon the methodology adopted and accordingly collecting the appropriate research papers. Based on the analysis done on the previous research papers, results are presented in Sect. 4 of the chapter. In Sect. 5, certain identified classification schemes are presented. In the next section, the results and another area of research chapter have been discussed, and in the last section, the conclusion has been presented [5]. 2 Background The Blockchain technology was first introduced in the form of Bitcoin, and it is one technology which is running the cryptocurrency that is Bitcoin. The integrity of the transaction of data is done with the help of a ledger system [3]. Even in the current context, the most frequently used application in Blockchain technology is bitcoin [6]. The main feature of Bitcoin is that it is a payment gateway that is decentralized in nature and it involves transaction ledger which is public [7]. The prime quality of Bitcoin is that it can maintain the value of the currency without involvement of any organization or government institution. The participants who are constantly using bitcoin are gradually increasing and also the number of transactions [8]. Additionally, it is also leading toward the conversion of the customary currencies, e.g., KRW, EUR, and USD, and it is leading to the conversion in the present currency available in the market [9, 10]. So, this cryptocurrency has gained much attention from a different set of people across the world and also successfully implemented digital currency [9]. So, a public key infrastructure mechanism is used in the case of bitcoin [11]. The use in the PKI mechanism has one public and private key. For the bitcoin wallet, a public key is employed in the discourse, and to authenticate the user, private key is used. There are three main components that are included during the transaction: receiver’s multiple public keys, the public key of the sender, and the worth which is transported. Within the time zone of 10 days, this transaction will be notified in the block. The information regarding all the transaction conducted in all the respective
- 15. Introduction to Blockchain Technology 5 blocks is stored in the user’s storage disk. So, the information on whatever transaction is done in the network of bitcoin is stored, and also, it authenticates the transaction done by the previous blocks. All the transactions done are verified, and accordingly, all the nodes are rewarded. This process can be referred to as mining, and this can further be established through proof of work which is considered as one of the crucial technologies in the blockchain. A consensus is reached between all the nodes when all the transactions are completed successfully. A chain is created between all the nodes by creating the linkage between new blocks and previous blocks. This is known as a public ledger technique in the bitcoin referred to as Blockchain where there is a block of chains. Blockchain is the technology of Bitcoin which is decentralized in nature. It is specifically designed to distribute and transmit currency for the operators of the Bitcoin. In this technology without any intervention of third party, public ledger can be supported which was previously not executed [3]. The main benefit of Blockchain technology is that once the data has been accepted by all nodes, the data stored in the public ledger cannot be altered or obliterated. This is the main reason that Blockchain technology is well known due to its feature of security and data integrity. There are so many other uses of Blockchain technology in other areas as well. For example, in the case of cloud service, an environment can be created for doing the digital transaction and sharing data on peer-to-peer basis [3]. The unique feature of Blockchain technology is the integrity of data and that is the prime factor why this technology is so successful and applied to other services and applications as well. Figure 2 shows the basic architecture of a Blockchain system. There are certain technological limitation and challenges which have been iden- tified in the Blockchain technology. Swan [3] has presented certain technical challenges and limitations so that in the future this technology can be adapted accordingly: • Throughput: The prime issue in the Blockchain technology is potential throughput and now it extended to 7tps (transaction per second). Certain other networks are procession which is VISA (2000tps) and Twitter (5000tps). The throughput is required to be maintained when the frequency in the network rises to a similar level. Fig. 2 Architecture of Blockchain that consists of different blocks in a sequential manner
- 16. 6 G. Singh et al. • Latency: Around 10 min is consumed in completing one transaction so that suffi- cient security for the transaction block in the case of Bitcoin can be created. More time has to be devoted to a block so that efficiency can be achieved in security, as it has to compensate for the charge of double expenditure attacks. When the money is spent more than once, then the result generated is double-spending [12]. Bitcoin can help the user in case of double-spending by authenticating each trans- action which is added to the block, ensuring that no previous inputs have been spent in the previous transactions [12]. So, in the present situation, latency has been considered a big issue. While the security is made, in seconds the transaction should be completed by making the blocks. For example, in the case of VISA, the transaction can be completed within a few seconds, which is beneficial in comparison to Blockchain. • Size and bandwidth: In February 2016, the network size of the Bitcoin is over 50,000 MB (February 2016). In each year, the capability of the Blockchain to grow is 214 PB, when the throughput is increased to the level of VISA. The size of the one block is 1 MB which is assumed by the community of the Blockchain, and every 10 min the block is created [13], due to which there is a restriction in the amount of transaction that can be controlled at one point of time (on middling 500 operations in one block) [14]. The issues of the size and bandwidth have to be resolved if the technology of Blockchain needs to handle a greater number of transactions. • Security: At present, the possibility of an attack on the Blockchain is around 51%. In the case of 51%, attack on the entire network of mining hash rate will be fully controlled by the single entity, and accordingly, it will be able to influence the Blockchain. So, more in-depth study and research are necessary to resolve the issue of security [15]. • Wasted resources: Huge amount of energy is wasted when the mining of bitcoin is done ($15 million/day). The proof-of-work effort is creating the waste in case of Bitcoin. In the field of the industry, some alternatives are present such as proof of stake. With the help of proof of work, we can determine how much work is accomplished by the miner [16]. For example, somebody can mine around 1% of proof-of-stake Blockchain if they are holding 1% of Blockchain [16]. To make the mining more effective, the issue with the waste resources needs to be resolved. • Usability: It is quite difficult in case Bitcoin API develops the services. In the case of Blockchain, it is required to cultivate additional user-friendly API. This can have a resemblance to the REST APIs. • Versioning, hard forks, multiple chains: The possibility of attack is higher that is around 51% when the small chain is comprised of small nodes. One more issue that can emerge is when the administrative or versioning purpose chain is split. So, if we look at the overall perspective, this technology has the capability to alter any transaction the way it is piloted on a day-to-day basis. Additionally, the applica- tion of Blockchain is not only confined to cryptocurrencies, but it can be applied in variousotherdomainswherethetransactioncanbedone.So,authorsarequitecurious to explore the different dimensions of the Blockchain, but presently Blockchain has
- 17. Introduction to Blockchain Technology 7 many limitations and threats as well. There are three features, i.e., anonymity, data integrity, and security characteristics, which are creating a lot of challenges, and these domains need to be answered and also evaluated with high excellence explo- ration. In the future, one more issue that requires attention for research is scalability. Hence, it becomes quite important to explore and understand how much research is conducted in the Blockchain and for that collecting and gathering all the important literature and relevant research available in the field. So, based on the research, we can understand the challenges and limitations have been addressed and resolved and also understand the various areas that need attention in the field of Blockchain at the moment [17]. Previously, most of the transactions were focusing on the third party for validation during the online transaction of digital assets but now the existing market in case of Blockchain technology can be applied in the domain of both financial and non- financial transactions. In the year 1994, there was one more application that was invented by Nick Szabo named “Smart Contracts.” It was rather a wonderful idea that the participating parties can automatically execute the contract between them. Conversely, until the idea of cryptocurrency did not come into existence, this idea was not very functional and in use. When the pre-programmed conditions of a contractual agreement are triggered, both Blockchain and smart contract applications can work simultaneously. In the world of cryptocurrencies, smart contracts are the killer of this respective application. Certain protocols are automatically enforced by computers and these are smart contracts. With the help of Blockchain technology, the task to register, authenticate, and implement smart contracts has become much calmer. Many companies are open source in nature like Ethereum and Codius which enables smart contracts to use Blockchain technology. Many companies are currently working on technologies of bitcoin and Blockchain which are providing support to smart contracts [18]. There are many situations where assets can only be transferred when certain conditions are fulfilled and it requires lawyers for the creation of agreement and bankstodeliverescrowservicewhichcanbesubstitutedbysmartcontracts.Ethereum due to its capability of the programmable platform was able to generate curiosity. Ethereum cryptocurrency can be created by anyone and it can be implemented to pay in case of smart contracts. To pay for the other or additional services, ether is the own cryptocurrencies of Ethereum. There is a wide range of applications in the case of Ethereum which includes governance, autonomous banks, keyless access, crowdfunding, financial derivatives trading, and expenditure using smart contracts. Not only cryptocurrencies are available but numerous Blockchains are available so that a wide range of applications can be supported. At present, three approaches are available in the industry which can also support the other applications and can help to overcome the estimated limitation of Bitcoin Blockchain [19]. On a particular digital asset to attain the consensus at the distributed level, a system of Blockchain algorithm is used which can be referred to as an alternative Blockchain. Merged mining is the process where the miners can be shared with the parent network. Various applications are suggested to be implemented which include DNS, SSL certification authority, file storage, and voting.
- 18. 8 G. Singh et al. On the top of bitcoin Blockchain by employing the functionalities beyond the creation of digital assets, there one open source named as a colored coin demonstrates the different methods for developers for the creation of digital assets. Side chains are alternative Blockchains that are supported by Bitcoins through bitcoin contract—as gold hacks some dollars and pounds. There is a possibility of having thousands of side chains attached to Bitcoin each having diverse features and purposes—all of them fetching the benefit of scarcity and resilience guaranteed by Bitcoin Blockchain. Once all the alternative Blockchains are tried and tested, Bitcoin Blockchain can repeat and it can support the additional features as well. 3 Technological Applications 3.1 Applications in Financial Domain (a) Private Securities In the case of making the company public, it is a very costly affair. Many processes have to be performed by the syndicates of the bank which includes the process of underwriting and attracting different investors. The companies which are listed under the stock exchanges are sharing with the secondary market to function properly in case of a trade setting and well in time. By using the technology of Blockchain, corporations can unswervingly distribute the shares to the people. The shares which are on the top of the Blockchain can be directly purchased and sold in the secondary market. Some of the examples regarding this are given as below: NASDAQ Private Equity: In the year 2014, NASDAQ has launched its private equity. This has been launched for some pre-IPO and private companies for the provision of crucial functionalities like cap table and investor relationship manage- ment. As multiple third parties are involved in the procedure of trading stocks in the interchange process, the process is quite slow and inefficient [20]. There is a joint partnership between NASDAQ and a new start-up known as chain.com for the implementation of private equity on top of the Blockchain. To implement exchange functionality, chain.com is doing it through Blockchain-based smart contracts. The performance of this merchandise is anticipated to fast, noticeable, and efficient. By using Blockchain as counterparty in implementation, Medici is developed as a secu- rity exchange. The main focus is the creation of the stock market which is cutting edge. Through the counterparty protocol, the traditional financial instrument can be implemented as the self-executing smart contracts. The requirement of physical contract is eliminated due to these smart contracts. Various contracts can be negoti- ated and facilitated, and it can be enforced and also eliminated the requirement of a third party as a mediator which includes broker, exchange, or bank.
- 19. Introduction to Blockchain Technology 9 To address the various issues which are related to alternative cryptocurrencies such as fragmentation and security, an open-source project is introduced with the main emphasis on the side chain. Its uses can vary from security registration, such as stocks, bonds, and derivatives, for ensuring the security in bank balance and mortgages. There is a new New York-based Bitcoin exchange known as CoinStarter. This Bitcoin exchange is working on a project referred to as Highline, whereby the help of Blockchain technology financial transaction is cleared and settled in T + 10 min in contrast to customary T + 3 or T + 2 days. There is more market that is decentralized in nature known as Augur through which users can purchase and sell shares by predicting the probability of the vents that it will occur in the future. So, based on the “Wisdom of crowds,” it can also be employed to make the financial transactions and economic forecast. There are digital tokens also named Bit shares that re-side the Blockchain and reference-specific assets such as currencies or commodities. It provides unique features to the token holders who can earn interest in commodities, such as gold and oil, as well as dollars, euros, and currency instruments. (b) Insurance Blockchain can register those assets which are unique and can be recognized by one or more identifiers and which are challenging to abolish or duplicate. This can further be utilized in authenticating the possession of a strong and also locating the history of the transaction. Any possessions (corporeal or digitally such as real estate, automobiles, physical assets, laptops, other valuables) can be validated by the insurer, and also, it can be registered and owned by the Blockchain [21]. A permanent ledger of diamond certification is done by the company known as Everledger, and also, the transaction history can be traced. The unique features of the diamond which differentiate from others such as height, width, weight, depth, and color are recorded and hashed in the Blockchain. These diamonds can be veri- fied by insurance companies by enforcing the different laws through enforcement agencies, owners, and claimants. Web service API can be easily used in the case of Everledger for verifying the diamond, cresting, and updating its claim by the insurance companies and in the same police reports can be done. 3.2 Applications in Non-financial Domain (a) Notary Public Blockchain can verify the authenticity of the various documents and eliminates the requirement for centralized authority. The service of document certification will surely benefit in the proof of ownership (who authored it), proof of existence (at a certain time), and proof of integrity (not tampered) of the documents.
- 20. 10 G. Singh et al. These services are legally bounded as it can be authenticated by the third party and also counterfeit-proof. Blockchain technology can be used for notarization which helps in ensuring the document’s privacy. With the help of cryptographic hashes of different files in the Blockchain, time stamping of the notary can be bought to the next higher level. Blockchain technology can also help in eliminating the required notarization fees which are quite expensive and not appropriate ways of transferring the document [22]. A thorough Blockchain company named as Stampery is mailing any files. Each email is certified by emailing specifically to individual customers by creating an indi- vidual email for them. There are many law firms which are employing the technology of Stampery’s for the authentication of documents in a cost-effective way. For the notary service, one of the companies known as Viacoin is used for the clearance of protocol. By using TestNet3 or Bitcoin Network, proof of existence can be created by as iOS app referred to as Block Notary. Documents can be notarized with the help of a trivial number of bitcoins so that it can be recorded in the public Blockchain and for this Crypto Public Notary. There is another service known as proof of existence which is employing Blockchain to SHA256 digest of the document. With the help of Blockchain, Ascribe is a company that is involved in authorship certification. With attribution to the original author, the ownership of the service can also be transferred. (b) Applications of Blockchain in the Music Industry In the past few decades, there is a tremendous transformation in the music industry due to digitalization; streaming services have raised to the next level and also increased awareness about Internet services. This transformation has influenced everybody in the music business starting from artists, labels, publishers, songwriters, and also other facility benefactors which are giving streaming services. Because of the emergence of the Internet, the process of determining the royalties has become more complex and has given rise to the demand for transparency in the royalty payments by both artists and songwriters [23]. This is one domain where Blockchain technology plays a crucial role. With the help of this technology, a comprehensive and accurate distributed database can be maintained which records all the rights of music ownership in a public ledger. Smart contracts can determine the rights of ownership and additionally regarding the right of ownership. The relationship between different stakeholders is defined, and interactions between them are automated with the help of smart contracts. 4 Decentralized Proof of the Existence of Documents In case of any legal solution, it is very crucial to validate the existence of the post-session of the signed documents [24]. Some security challenges are present
- 21. Introduction to Blockchain Technology 11 in the traditional document validation model which put forth central authorities for storing and for the validation of documents. It became more difficult for these as the documents become older. ThetechnologyofBlockchainisgivingthealternativemodelforproofofexistence and also regarding the ownership of legitimate forms. Online proof of the different documents can be secured anonymously with the help of the service known as proof of existence. When the user submits the document at the same time, this service of proof of existence stores the cryptographic digest of the file. It has to be taken into consideration that cryptographic digest or fingerprint is deposited and not the real document. In this domain, the user is not required to take tension regarding the privacy aspect and securing the information. At a certain point in time later on, it is allowed to certify the existence of the document. The signature and timestamp which are related to the legal document can easily be stored by leveraging the technology of the Blockchain and can be authenticated by native Blockchain mechanisms [25]. The main pros of this service are that it permits its user to maintain the security and privacy that permit the handler to maintain dispersed proof of document which cannot be a midwife by the third party. So, the document’s existence is authenticated by employing the technology of Blockchain which does not rely upon the single centralized entity. 4.1 Decentralized Storage To store the different types of files such as photos, videos, and music files, there are different types of cloud file storage such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or One Drive which are gaining the attention of many individuals. However, they are gaining the attention and interest of the people despite that cloud file storage has a limitation of security, privacy, and data control. The foremost problem is that even in the case of confidential files one has to trust the third party. Peer-to-peer distributed cloud storage platforms can be provided by Blockchain technology known as Storj which facilitates the user to exchange and transfer the data without depending upon the third party. Users can be benefited in such scenarios whereunusualbandwidthcanbeusedandalsopersonalspaceinthePCcanbeutilized for the purpose of micropayment based on Bitcoin [26]. Security, privacy, and data control are significantly increased if the central control is absent, and also, it eliminates the most conservative data failures and outages. For the proper participation in the network, Storj’s platform is employed which relies upon a challenging algorithm to offer incentivization. So, in this style, the integrity and availability of files can be checked cryptographi- cally with the help of Storj and also offering the rewards in a direct way to the people maintaining the file. In a similar example, we can see that both an incentive and method of payment can be done by the bitcoin-based micropayments; on the other hand, separate Blockchain is used for the metadata file.
- 22. 12 G. Singh et al. 4.2 Decentralized IoT The Internet of Things (IoT) is gaining attention and it is becoming quite prevalent technology in both domains such as consumer and enterprise space [27, 28]. There are many platforms of IoT which are based on the centralized model in which the control and interaction between the devices are controlled by the broker or hub. However, therearemanysituationsinwhichthisapproachisquiteimpracticalwherethedevices are required to alteration of data among themselves independently. This specific need leads to efforts toward decentralized IoT platforms. The implementation of decentralized IoT platforms can be facilitated with the help of Blockchain technology which includes record keeping and secured and trusted data exchange. In this type of architecture, the general ledger is served by the Blockchain technology, which maintains the trusted record of all the messages in a decentralized typology between smart devices. ADEPT (Autonomous Decentralized Peer-to-Peer Telemetry) is a platform that is jointly developed by IBM and Samsung and which uses the design if the bitcoins and distributed networks of devices are built or decentralized Internet of Things (IoT). There are three protocols which are used in ADEPT: BitTorrent (file sharing), Ethereum (smart contracts), and Telehash (peer-to-peer messaging). The filament is a startup that provides a decentralized IoT software stack that uses the bitcoin Blockchain to enable devices to hold unique identities on a public ledger. 4.3 Blockchain Based on Anti-counterfeit Solutions In contemporary business, one of the prevalent challenges is counterfeiting. Rather, if we talk specifically, one of the biggest problems digital commerce facing in today’s scenario is the problem of counterfeiting. The solution to this problem is the depen- dency on the third party which brings into a scenario the logical friction between merchants and consumers. This issue of counterfeiting mechanism can be handled by the Blockchain tech- nology by providing its decentralized implementation and security capabilities. A situation can be assumed where all merchants, different brands, and markets share a system of Blockchain with different nodes where the evidence can be stored and authenticity can be validated of the product. By employing the technology of Blockchain, the supply chain stakeholders will not depend on the centralized entity for validating the exclusive products. Anti-counterfeit solutions can be provided with the help of Blockchain technology using block verify that has presented the transparency to the supply chain. There are various applications in different domains such as in the pharmaceutical, luxury items, and diamonds and electronics industries.
- 23. Introduction to Blockchain Technology 13 5 Blockchain in Internet Domain There is one alternative Blockchain technology named as Namecoin having small variations by the help, of which decentralized version of DNS (domain name system) canbeimplementedwhichisirrepressibletosuppression.Atpresent,theDNSservers are mainly well ordered by administrations and large establishments; in case of consumer’s Internet usage, the powers can be abused to censor the power, hijack, or spy. By using the technology of Blockchain, the phonebook or Internet’s DNS can be sustained in a decentralized manner and respective users can save the same phonebook records on their workstation. For digitally managing the certificates and for the centralized distribution, the technology of public key infrastructure is widely used. For the verification of the digital certificate, each device is required to have origin credential of the certifica- tion authority (CA) [29]; although the technology of PKI was very successful and widely deployed, the issue of scalability makes it dependent on CA. The features of the Blockchain can facilitate and help to resolve some of the issues of the PKI by employing the feature of Keyless Security Infrastructure (KSI). The cryptographic hash function is used in the case of KPI, which allows the confirmation to depend on solitary on the safety of hash functions and also the Blockchain availability. 5.1 Risks of Adoption This technology of Blockchain is quite promising and breakthrough. As previously also we have discussed that, some numerous applications or problems can be solved with the help of Blockchain technology, starting to form financial (remittance to investment banking) to the domain of non-financial applications like notary services. Furthermost of the innovations are fundamental. As it happened due to the adop- tion of radical innovation, there is a probability of a certain risk associated with it. 5.2 Behavior Change The only permanent thing in this world is change, which is permanent, and it is quite obvious to have resistance toward this change. Customers are required to have the awareness that the electronic transfer they are doing is safe, secure, and complete in the present situation of a non-tangible third party. There will be a transformation in the roles and responsibilities of the intermediaries as well like Visa or Mastercard (in case of credit cards). It can be assumed shortly that these firms will also invest in this technology and all their platforms will also be moving toward Blockchain-based
- 24. 14 G. Singh et al. platforms. Further, to maintain customer relationships, these firms will continue to provide services. 5.3 Scaling There is a challenge that the services are at the nascent stage and based on the technology of the Blockchain. As an individual we have to assume that we are doing blockchain transactions for the very first time. In this case, a person is required to download the entire set of Blockchain and has to authenticate it before doing the first business. This can take many hours as the number of blocks increases exponentially [30]. 5.4 Bootstrapping If we have to move the existing document or business document framework to the new methodology of the Blockchain, it put forth the significant set of tasks related to the migration which needs to be executed. If we take an example of the ownership in real estate, existing documents that are still lying in the country or escrow companies required to be transferred to the Blockchain which is in the equivalent form. This process may involve a huge amount of time and costs [31]. 5.5 Government Regulations In the advent of technology and a new era of transaction which are based on Blockchain technology, FTC and SEC are some government agencies which may reduce the pace of the adoption process by introducing new laws and monitoring and regulating the different organizations for compliances [27]. So accordingly, the facility of the adoption in the USA can be adopted as most of the agencies have gained the trust of their customer. Although the economies are more controlled like China, the process of adoption will have some significant challenges. 5.6 Fraudulent Activities If we look at the pseudonymous feature of this technology named as Blockchain, which is considered as easy going with valuables, the same features can be misused by some individuals for fraudulent activities like money trafficking. So, we have to understand that to protect these activities and to minimize fraudulent activities,
- 25. Introduction to Blockchain Technology 15 strong laws, regulations, and technology support laws are required and some law enforcement agencies will be required to monitor and supervise [32]. 5.7 Quantum Computing It has been observed that it is quite impossible if we calculate mathematically and then, it is quite difficult for a single party as the more computer power is required in case of Blockchain technology. With the help of the sheer brute force approach, the keys in the domain of cryptographic keys can be easily cracked due to the future advancement in the quantum of computers. Due to this, the entire system will come on the knees. On the contrary, there is an agreement that these cryptographic keys will become stronger and it becomes difficult for them to crack [28]. 5.8 Corporate Funding and Interest Intheyear2015,thecurrencyofbitcoinhasreachedthehighestleveloverSeptember– October in both the domains which include price and volume. This new era of digital currency is gaining momentum in both the places which include customer market- place and tradable security and also with the different regulators. People are very enthusiastic as more and more capitals are injected into the digital infrastructure. The level of excitement is growing gradually for the Bitcoin and Blockchain as organiza- tions have acknowledged around US$1 billion of record investment in the year 2015 came to an end. There are numerous companies such as American Express, Bain Capital, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, MasterCard, and the New York Life Insurance Company who have invested millions of dollars into bitcoin recently [33]. It has been analyzed that many corporate houses and industries have started showing interest in the technology Blockchain and bitcoin infrastructure in different segments. For the creation of a more secure and efficient system for stock trading, NASDAQ has come up with tapping technology in the domain of Blockchain. A company known as DocuSign, specialized in the electronic markets, has just revealed the joint idea to utilize the Blockchain to track the rental of the car and also to mini- mizethepaperwork[24].Microsofthasalsorevealedtheideaofitsventurewithsmart contracts that are using the technology of Blockchain. At the same time, the curiosity level for the Blockchain technology has gone to such a height that many companies are even conducting a different experiment by creating the different smaller “private Blockchain” inside their office premises. For example, many firms are hiring different companies such as Block Cypher, which is a start-up of Redwood City, California, and working in the domain of creation of the Blockchain technology within their own office and business premises [34].
- 26. 16 G. Singh et al. 6 Conclusion Bitcoin cryptocurrency is handled by Blockchain technology. This is a platform and the environment is decentralized in nature, whereas in the public ledger system all the transactions are recorded and can be seen by all the participants. The main focus of Blockchain technology is to provide anonymity, security, privacy, and transparency to all the people using it. But, despite these features, there are many challenges and limitations which need to be resolved. To explore and understand the latest position of Blockchain technology, authors have used the process of systematic mapping in which all the recent research conducted in the domain of Blockchain technology has been explored [4]. The main aim of this systematic mapping was to explore the existing status of Blockchain technology and various areas where future researches can be conducted. We have only involved in the technical perspective in this study; rather, economic, law, business, and regulation perspectives have not been taken into consideration. Many papers are extracted from the scientific database and through which authors have tried to analyze the data. Based on the study conducted through different papers, authors have recommended the scope for future research in the domain of Blockchain technology based on understanding the current status done in the domain of Blockchain technology. • Identifying issues and challenges in Blockchain technology and suggestion solu- tions to address these issues. Since 2013, it has been analyzed that Blockchain technology has gained momentum and it drastically increased in every sphere. There are many types of research which were conducted in this domain and every year the number of papers and researches conducted in this area increased. Out of the researches done in the concerned area, majority of the paper was stressing upon the challenges and limitations in the area, but still, there are so many issues that are still not addressed. • More research is required to address the issue of scalability in Blockchain. After analyzing and extracting the information from different research papers, it has been identified that majority of the current research is dedicated to security and privacy issues. If the Blockchain technology is implemented in a pervasive manner, the issue of scalability which includes performance and latency needs to be addressed. • More Blockchain application beyond Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency needs to be developed. This study has mainly focused on one application of Blockchain which is Bitcoin. Additionally, the study has also addressed the other applications of Blockchain technology such as smart contracts, property licensing, and voting. To address the different challenges and limitations in the domain of Blockchain technology, many researchers have recommended just a brief solution but these solutions have a deficit on the part of the concrete evaluation on the part of their effectiveness.
- 27. Introduction to Blockchain Technology 17 References 1. Lerner J (2006) The new new financial thing: The origins of financial innovations. J Financial Econ 79(2):223–255, 2006, [online] Available: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/ docview/231721046?accountid=14745 2. Frame W, White L (2004) Empirical studies of financial innovation: Lots of talk little action? J Econ Literature 42(1):116–144. [online] Available: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3217038 3. Swan M (2015) Blockchain: blueprint for a new economy. O’Reilly Media, Inc. 4. Kitchenham B, Charters S (2007) Guidelines for performing systematic literature reviews in software engineering 5. Wiesche M, Jurisch MC, Yetton PW, Krcmar H (2017) Grounded theory methodology in information systems research. MIS Quart 41(3):685–701 6. Coinmarketcap, Crypto-Currency Market Capitalizations (2016) Accessed 24 Mar 2016. https://coinmarketcap.com/ 7. Bitcoin NS (2012) A peer-to-peer electronic cash system. Consulted 2008(1):28 8. Kondor D, Pósfai M, Csabai I, Vattay G (2014) Do the rich get richer? An empirical analysis of the Bitcoin transaction network. PloS one. 9(2):e86197. pmid:24505257 9. Herrera-Joancomart J, Research and challenges on bitcoin anonymity. In: Garcia-Alfaro J, Herrera-Joancomart J, Lupu E, Posegga J, Aldini A, Martinelli F, et al (eds) Data privacy management, autonomous spontaneous security, and security assurance, vol 8872 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer International Publishing, pp 3–16. Available from: http:// dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17016-9_1 10. Judmayer A, Stifter N, Krombholz K, Weippl E, Bertino E, Sandhu R (2017) Blocks and chains: introduction to bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and their consensus mechanisms. Morgan & Claypool 11. Bitcoincharts (2016) Accessed 24 MAr 2016. https://bitcoincharts.com 12. Housley R (2004) In: Public key infrastructure (PKI). Wiley & Sons, Inc. Available from: http:// dx.doi.org/10.1002/047148296X.tie149 13. Double-spending (2016). Accessed: 24 Mar 2016. https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Double-spending 14. Bitcoin wiki (2015) Accessed 24 Mar 2016. https://en.bitcoin.it 15. Wang Y, Hugh Han J, Davies PB (2018) Understanding blockchain technology for future supply chains: a systematic literature review and research agenda, vol 24, pp 62–84 16. Antonopoulos AM (2014) Mastering Bitcoin: unlocking digital cryptocurrencies. O’Reilly Media, Inc. 17. Proof-of-Stake (2016) Accessed 24 Mar 2016. https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Proof_of_Stake 18. MingxiaoD,XiaofengM,Zhe Z,Xiangwei W,QijunC (2017)Areviewonconsensusalgorithm of blockchain. In: 2017 IEEE international conference on systems man and cybernetics 19. Borenstein J (2016) A risk-based view of why banks are experimenting with bitcoin and the Blockchain. SpotlightonRisk Technology, 18 Sept 2015. Web. 03 May 2016 20. Barski C, Wilmer C (2014) The blockchain lottery: how miners are rewarded—CoinDesk. CoinDeskRSS. CoinDesk, 23 Nov 2014. Web. 03 May 2016 21. Wild, Jane, Martin Arnold, and Philip Stafford.“Technology: Banks Seek the Key to Blockchain -FT.com.”FinancialTimes.N.p.,1 Nov. 2015. Web. 03 May 2016 22. Driscoll S (2013) How bitcoin works under the hood. Imponderable Things, 14 July 2013. Web. 03 May 2016 23. Kelly J (2015) Nine of world’s biggest banks join to form block-chain partnership. Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 15 Sept 2015. Web. 03 May 2016 24. Kalra V, Rashmi A (2019) Challenges of text analytics in opinion mining. In: Extracting knowledge from opinion mining. IGI Global, pp 268–282 25. Why NASDAQ Private Market. Nasdaq Private Market |. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2016 26. Chain | Enterprise Blockchain Infrastructure. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2016 27. Bhushan D, Rashmi A (2020) Security challenges for designing wearable and IoT solutions. In: A handbook of internet of things in biomedical and cyber physical system. Springer, Cham, pp 109–138
- 28. 18 G. Singh et al. 28. Bhushan D, Rashmi A (2020) The Internet of Things: looking beyond the hype. An industrial IoT approach for pharmaceutical industry growth, vol 2, p 231 29. Infante A (2014) Quantum computers: the end of cryptography?—Make Use Of. N.p., 16 Nov 2014. Web. 03 May 2016 30. Lee TB (2015) Bitcoin’s value is surging. Here are 5 charts on the growing bitcoin economy. Vox. N.p., 03 Nov 2015. Web. 03 May 2016 31. Rivera J (2015) Gartner’s 2015 hype cycle for emerging technologies identifies the computing innovations that organizations should monitor. N.p., 18 Aug 2015. Web. 03 May 2016 32. Gupta N, Rashmi A (2018) NoSQL security. In: Advances in computers, vol 109. Elsevier, pp 101–132 33. Gupta V (2017) A brief history of blockchain. Harvard Bus Rev. [online] Available: https:// hbr.org/2017/02/a-brief-history-of-blockchain 34. Nærland K, Müller-Bloch C, Beck R, Palmund S (2017) Blockchain to rule the waves— Nascent design principles for reducing risk and uncertainty in decentralized environments. In: Proceedings of 38th International Conference on Information System. [online] Available: https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2017/HCI/Presentations/12/
- 29. Cloud Computing Security Using Blockchain Technology Santosh Kumar Singh , P. K. Manjhi, and R. K. Tiwari Abstract In 2006, cloud computing existed after Amazon’s deployment of the first of its category of cloud services. Cloud computing is now simply the topmost in every record of existing theme as a research topic, for computer science in view of the fact that of its across-the-board implications in various areas in computing and which has become present day’s most recent research area because of its capability to decrease theoperationalcostslinkedwithcomputing.Arapidgrowthincloudcomputingadap- tion has been observed but, still, the data security concerns have not been fully coun- tered. Data security anxiety is still an obstacle to the expansion of cloud computing to some extent and needs to be determined. Earlier we have used techniques for cloud environment security in our research work like two-factor authentication (OTP), AES algorithm, RSA cryptography, elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), hyperel- liptic curve cryptography (HECC), homomorphic encryption, steganography, usage control (UCON) collective with encryption and the digital watermarking technology. Apart from used techniques, blockchain has come into view as a key technology to ensure security particularly in aspects of authenticity confidentiality and integrity. Therefore, this time we have selected blockchain technology to avoid the security concerns of the cloud environment. This time we will review the various features of security in blockchain and further analyze the application of blockchain in cloud environment for computing security. Keywords Cloud computing · Blockchain · E-wallet · Security · Cloud services · Cryptography · Authentication S. K. Singh (B) University Department of Computer Applications, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribag, Jharkhand, India e-mail: Santosh.trinity17@gmail.com P. K. Manjhi University Department of Mathematics, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribag, Jharkhand, India e-mail: 19pankaj81@gmail.com R. K. Tiwari Department of Computer Science and Technology, R.V.S. College of Engineering and Technology, Mango, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India e-mail: rktiwari@rvscet.com © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021 R. Agrawal and N. Gupta (eds.), Transforming Cybersecurity Solutions Using Blockchain, Blockchain Technologies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6858-3_2 19
- 30. 20 S. K. Singh et al. 1 Introduction Blockchain technology was made by a person (or group of people) named Satoshi Nakamoto that provides the open business manuscript to the cryptocurrency bitcoin. The development of the digital ledger for virtual currency (bitcoin) prepared it the foremost electronic money to resolve the risk of digital currency which can be spent twice, i.e., double spending difficulty not having the requirement of reliable officials or essential servers. Blockchain is a rising file of records, known blocks, which are connected with cryptography. Every block holds a digital fingerprint or a hash value of the preceding block, operational information, and sequence of information as a time stamp usually displayed as a Merkle tree. Intentionally, a cryptographic ledger is opposed to the tempering of the facts. Basically it is a public transaction ledger that is able to store the business details among the two parties proficiently also in a provable plus everlasting technique. To employ as a cryptographic ledger, a distributed ledger is normally headed by a (p2p Web) or peer-to-peer arrangements jointly hold on to a procedure in support of inter-node transmission as well as to authenticate latest blocks [1]. Blockchain has pulled focus as the succeeding production monetary machinery because of its safety that suits the computerization age. Particularly, it gives protec- tion through the validation of peers to dispense virtual money, encryption, and the generationofahashvaluethatidentifiesthecontents.Followingtheworldwidemone- tary business, the future merchandise for safety-based digital ledger technology is possible to grow up near about US Dollar twenty billion in 2020. Blockchain is able to supply advanced security compared to keeping the entire information into a centralized database. In the case of the records repository space as well as managing features, database damage from attacks can be prohibited. Further- more, seeing as the public transaction ledger has unrestricted features that can make available transparent with some condition in information at what time apply to region indispensable to exposé the data. Blockchain has a number of facilities, so it can be fruitful if utilized in different sectors including the monetary area and the Internet of things (IoT) background as well as we are expecting to increase its applications [2–5]. The public transaction ledger completes business records during the required work verification procedure, once a human being who lending digital money creates a block by merging the dealings over the related network. The highly unique hash code is next produced by confirming it moreover linking the preceding record of the transaction block. Each block could be recognized by a hash which is created using the SHA256 algorithm that blocks at regular intervals simplified and reflected on the electronic money operation facts contribute to the main current business transaction detail block. This course of action provides safety to the business transaction of electronic cash and allows utilizing of dependable machinery [6–8]. Cloud customers demand for the services from the cloud service providers. CSPs are third parties that provide cloud storage services to their customers. Several other
- 31. Cloud Computing Security Using Blockchain Technology 21 third-party service providers are Third Party Auditor and Attribute Authority that are hypothetical to provide safety functionalities in the cloud. As we all know that safety and faith are the most significant and essential issues while benefitting the organizations and institutions with cloud [9, 10]. Cloud customer’s data are on the highest threat which can be misplaced, revealed, or attacked but they do not have any choice to come out of this substandard position. Cloud customers do not even know of to whom they are interacting with or sharing their valuable data. Transparency is also a very serious concern, and cloud customers do not have any idea about the users of their data and how the data is roaming within the cloud. Cloud environment-based computing has been implemented in several information technology-based environments because of its effectiveness as well as accessibility. Furthermore, cloud safety plus confidentiality concerns have been discussed in respect of significant protection elements like privacy, righteousness, validation, admittance control, and many more [11]. Our research work studies and surveys the blockchain machinery by analyzing generic (provide services in software applications) technology and research trends. The outcome of this study could provide significant base information in the study of digital ledger. Hence we can motivate and encourage the improvement in future expectations of distributed ledger machinery by comprehension of the inclination of public transaction ledger safety measures in the cloud environment. The rest of the research work in this chapter is structured in the following manner. InthechapterofSect.2,weareestablishingthebasicconceptofblockchain.Section3 presents a detailed argument on blockchain security as well as improved blockchain. Sections 4 and 5 proposes secure blockchain solutions in cloud computing. In the end, we conclude our study in Sect. 6. 2 Structure of Blockchain A cryptographic ledger is a not centralized, ledger in distributed form, and frequently public transaction ledger, a digitalized ledger that is used to hold transactions across various computers so that any concerned record cannot be misrepresented. This permits the participators to test and audit transactions autonomously and compara- tively inexpensive. A blockchain database is handled autonomously using a network and a distributed time stamp server. The use of a cryptographic ledger takes away the feature of unlimited duplicability from a digital ledger. It approves that every value of the unit is transmitted merely one time, removing the time-consuming standing diffi- culty. A cryptographic ledger can maintain title rights and has portrayed as a protocol of value-exchange [12]. The digital ledger is a mechanics that permits each associate to maintain a book holding the whole business transaction information and to revise their books to preserve reliability when there is the latest business transaction. Each and every one associate to validate the dependability of a business transaction which is possible just because of Internet and encryption technologies. The blockchain has
- 32. 22 S. K. Singh et al. agent-free features since rights of the business deal information by several individ- uals make hacking complicated, safety expenditure is reduced, business transactions are mechanically accepted as well as keep recorded by a group of members, plus swiftness be guaranteed. Furthermore, the scheme could be simply executed, linked also extended with the help of public resource plus operation files could be publically retrieved to put together the operations open and minimize authoritarian expenditure [13]. The public transaction ledger, primarily blockchain which is a rising list of files also called blocks and linked using cryptography, i.e., an arrangement that is the combination or composed of a block body with a block header. Block header incor- porates the code of hash values of the preceding and recent record books plus number which is difficult to find, meets the difficult level restrictions, i.e., nonce (number used only once added to hashed or encrypted block) value. Using the index function, the record book data are explored in the database, even though the record book does not include the code of hash value of subsequent record book as displayed in Fig. 1. As the code of hash values kept in every peer inside the record book is pompous through the previous values of record books, this is not easy to forge as well as modify the recorded records [14]. In the above Fig. 1, blockchain block holds the main data which depends on the code of hash value of current record book, the code of hash value of previous record book, time stamp which is the duration of record book creation, and other information, i.e., nonce value, the user defines data and block signature. Verification based on public key with a hash function is used to offer safety in the cryptographic ledger. Algorithm of curve digital signature permitted the digital signature produced for the period of a business transaction among persons is used to provide evidence that the business transaction facts have not been altered [15]. Using blockchain there are various in-progress studies to make stronger safety in the cloud environment. The main significant part of the digital ledger is associated with the personal key utilization in encryption for safety. An aggressor attempts a “reuse attack” and an additional ambush in order to crack the bitcoin to acquire the Fig. 1 Blockchain structure
- 33. Another Random Document on Scribd Without Any Related Topics
- 34. mere bowing acquaintance. Formerly, when I was very young, we had mutually sought each other. I always thought him very handsome and sensible-looking, and what to me is better than all the rest, he appeared as shy, proud, and reserved as Lord Ponsonby; but, on acquaintance, we had discovered that we were too much alike in temper to agree. Afraid of each other, we could do nothing together, so we cut in a week; except, as to the mere bow, which would not in common civility be avoided when we passed each other. Lately, since I had found Meyler's temper become so provoking, it had struck me more than once that, if Ebrington were to try again, we might agree better. However there were three reasons why I did not make the first advances to his lordship. In the first place, though Meyler was a torment to me, my jealousy prevented me from throwing him upon the world: in the second, I could not deceive any man: in the third, I said to myself, "why should Lord Ebrington like me now when my health and freshness are gone, though he did not care for me in the days of my earliest youth and beauty?" "The case is hopeless," thought I, after casting one wishful look behind me on Lord Ebrington, who, meeting me on my entrance into town from Leicestershire, smiled sweetly as he made me a very graceful bow; "therefore I'll finish writing my play, which I began so long ago, instead." I took it from Molière's celebrated comedy of Le Malade Imaginaire; but it was by no means a literal translation. I reduced it to three acts, and altered what I conceived was too coarse and indecent for an English audience. It only afforded me altogether employment for three days, and, when done, I was far from sanguine as to its success. What indeed could I be expected to know concerning the Drama, who had seen so few plays in my life! Being acquainted with Mr. Charles Young the performer, I ventured to request him to look over my dramatic labours. In three or four days he called upon me. "Do you know," said he, "that this is a very clever work?" "You don't say so?" answered I.
- 35. "How you happened to be so capital, in this way, I cannot conceive, since you can have found little time for study. However, this being such a hasty scrawl, you must get it fairly copied, and I will then present it to the manager, Mr. Charles Kemble, with very little doubts of its success." A friend of my own was kind enough to transcribe my comic efforts for me, and I returned it to Mr. Young, who sent me a note to acknowledge its receipt, in these words: "MY DEAR MISS WILSON,—I have received your manuscript, and shall lose no time in presenting it to the managers, who will bring it out immediately, that is, if they know a good thing when they see it. "Yours truly, "C. YOUNG." In about a week, the managers returned my little comedy to Mr. Young, stating in a note which that gentleman forwarded to me, that they did not think it calculated to forward the interests of the stage, &c. I know not whether Young or the managers were wrong in their opinion of this piece; but certainly I bore the disappointment with much philosophy, having only written it pour passer le temps. As I had really and truly formed a very high opinion of Mr. Young's judgment and good taste, even before his praise of my play, I thought I might as well show it to Elliston. I felt quite certain that Young would not have advised me to take the trouble of getting it copied, if it had not been his real decided opinion that it was fit for the stage; so I wrote as follows to Mr. Elliston, whom I then believed to be a very gentlemanly, pleasant old fellow. "MY GOOD MOUNTEBANK,—You, who were born and created for my particular sport and amusement, pray come and see me on Sunday evening at seven o'clock, if you have time. I want to give you a little dramatic piece to look over at your leisure, and I want at the same time to shake hands with you.
- 36. "Yours truly, "H.W." Elliston sent me this answer on Sunday morning: "MY DEAR MADAM.—The probable prevention to the pleasure I proposed to myself, in passing an hour in your company, was removed; but I am laid by the heels with a sharp fit of gout, a grievous enemy to Sunday evening meetings. I do not know whether you think this a feather in my cap; but I would well wish that the feather had been fixed on the foot, that, like Mercury, I might have escaped from my confinement. If I chose to pursue the image, I might add, my visit, like his, would have been to a goddess. "I am glad you think I was born to please you:—No, 'to amuse' was the phrase, and, as Benedict says, there is a double meaning in that. "It appears pretty evident, madam, that I must not play the fool in private with you. God send me a good deliverance! I have been out with my crutch, my pillow, and my large shoe, in the carriage to-day: a seducing set of paraphernalia for un beau garçon. There are, however, goodly reasons why I should think that Tuesday or Wednesday will see me quite myself, which you will say is promising but little. I promise nothing, but leave all to time which, grey-beards say, bringeth everything to light. "MOUNTEBANK. " In about another week, I wrote to him again as follows: "Why don't you come, Mountebank? "Many thanks for the private box you were kind enough to send me an order for last night. Your Jew was a masterpiece of fine, chaste acting, nothing overdone—no grimace!—the true,
- 37. benevolent simplicity of the good old Jew, real and genuine. Tell me, by bearer, when you will come, for I am like the lady in Tom Thumb—I cannot stay. "Yours truly and obediently, "H.W." Elliston sent me word he would be with me by eight in the evening, at which hour, finding himself, as usual very tipsy, he despatched this note, by his servant: "MY DEAREST MADAM,—Say not you, in return, 'oh false promiser!' Well, if I must bear blame, at least I will be heard. The day has been unruly, and the difficulty of procuring a coach very great: besides, when I come to you, let me be allowed the Da Capo of your own sweet words, I cannot stay. Now, if I dared to suppose that disappointment had soured you I would, with soothing words, disarm you, and try to dissipate the frown from your brow. "What is the matter between you and Livius? "I am not conscious of having done any harm. In all my transactions with that gentleman it has been my most anxious desire to show him attention and to do him justice; and, I sincerely assure you, that I have run his musical comedy as a first piece beyond discretion. "If it is a fine morning on Sunday, I may walk up to your house early. In short, as you say that I am an odd creature, think me so still, and always believe that my heart is right, though my head may be wrong; so I will call upon you when I can and, what is more, when I like. Hurrah for impudence! "ANDREW MERRY."
- 38. There is enough of Elliston. I sent him my farce, which he acknowledged in a letter now in my possession, where he promises to take an early opportunity of reading it. Since that, we have quarrelled, and I have vainly asked him to return me my farce or pay me for it. Elliston has never had the honesty to do the one or the other. CHAPTER XXXII When I returned from Leicestershire, Colonel Parker was arrived from Spain, and Worcester hourly expected with despatches. My father proposed separating himself from my mother, and retiring to his native country the Canton de Berne, should the expected peace be proclaimed; and he, as well as Lord Berwick, wished my mother to reside with the younger part of her family in France. Lord Worcester, when he brought over the despatches shortly afterwards, appeared, from what my sister Fanny, whom he often visited, told me, to have taken rather a dislike to me, or he was trying to do so, and he strove hard to muster up another passion for another woman. The only flattering part of this melancholy fact was, that every woman he made up to had been reckoned like me in feature or expression. The noble marquis made up to the late Miss Georgiana Fitzroy, who, as I have heard many people say, very closely resembled me. He danced with her and ogled her for a fortnight, and then he was obliged to return to his military duties in Spain. However, he first went, accompanied by the present Lord Glengall, to take a hasty leave of his new flame. Lord Glengall, who waited in an adjoining room, declared, as Amy says, that he heard Miss Fitzroy sobbing in hysterics; and I have some reason to believe that Lord Worcester could only sooth her by promises of marriage.
- 39. When this account was mentioned to the Duke of Leinster, His Grace asserted that Miss Fitzroy had tried hysterics with him as a bold stroke for a husband of high rank; but, that, though not wise, he was not quite so easily caught neither, as all that came to. While Lord Worcester was in town, Fanny had permitted him to visit her, for the sole purpose of endeavouring to make him do something for me; but Lord Worcester seemed to have lost every atom of feeling in the wars, and, from a shy, sensitive, blushing, ardent boy, had returned a cold-blooded and most shameless profligate, like the great, the glorious wonder of his age, Wellington. France being now open to us, Meyler expressed his intention of taking a trip to Paris. We had some very serious quarrels just at this time. "Meyler," said I to him, a short time before we went abroad, "you and I cannot live together. You are honest enough to acknowledge that your temper is abominable; for my part, I do not believe that there exists a woman who could endure it. I hold myself no longer therefore under your protection, mind. I don't mean to say that I will be unfaithful to you; but from this hour I am my own mistress, and you, when we meet any visitors, are to be turned out the first moment you treat me with a want of politeness." Meyler could not bear this plan for any length of time, and we had in one month mutually agreed to part at least twenty times over, and then made matters up again. The deuce was in us both. We really hated each other, and yet sheer jealousy kept us together. At last, Meyler assured me that, though he had often talked of parting, he had never been so determined till now; and to effect this object, and prevent the possibility of our reconciliation like fools, only to quarrel again the next instant, he should leave town and not return until we were both attached and engaged elsewhere. This resolution made me, I do confess, very unhappy. To conceal my real feelings I dressed gaily, I went blazing to the opera and to every other place of resort where I might expect to meet Meyler's friends,
- 40. one of whom told me that Meyler was actually staying at Melton quite alone, the hunting season being at an end. In about three weeks he came to town. I dreaded encountering him at the opera, since we were to cut each other dead, and yet the effort must be made. He shall see me merry, and surrounded with handsome admirers, if I am to die the next hour. The little, provokingly handsome sugar-baker must not know that I still remember him, and am dying for his kiss. For several opera nights I saw Meyler in the Duchess of Beaufort's box, and in the round-room, and we mutually cut each other. At last, he came slyly up to our party and addressed my sister Fanny. His beautiful, white, petit hand was held towards mine, and I pressed it, malgré moi, for an instant, without speaking to him, and the next moment found myself seated in his carriage on our way home. "Don't tell my friends," said Meyler. "I have so sworn never to speak to you again, that I shall not be able to support their incessant quizzing." "We will not again attempt to live with each other," said I. "Our tempers never can assimilate, and I will be as free as the air we breathe; but you may, indeed you must, come and visit me." "Swear then, upon your honour and soul, that you will acquaint me if you should prove unfaithful to me." I did swear not to deceive him: and then we hoped to go on more comfortably under our new arrangement. "I shall go to Paris in my own carriage, and establish myself in my own lodgings," said I; and to this proposition Meyler was obliged to agree. He promised to follow me, and be there a week after my arrival. My dear mother had disposed of her house at Brompton very unwillingly, in compliance with the wishes of Lord Berwick and her husband. Her departure, as well as mine, was delayed by a circumstance which I will now relate.
- 41. Colonel Parker, being one of those sort of animals whose constitution requires variety, had been, of late, cooling towards Fanny, his most amiable and, I will swear, most faithful companion, the mother of his child too, and merely because he had been in possession of her person too many months for his habit of variety. Having left her one morning to pay a visit to a relation of his, where he was to meet his cousin, Fanny asked him, in joke, if he was certain he should not make love to her. "Love to her!" exclaimed Parker, "she is the greatest fright imaginable. I wish you could once see her. It would set your mind at rest for the remainder of your life, on that head at least." The lady's name was Popham, if I recollect right. As Parker promised to return to Fanny in a week, she grew uneasy when almost a fortnight had elapsed without seeing or even hearing from him. At last, somebody told her that he was in town, and residing at an hotel in Vere Street. Fanny set off that very instant by herself and on foot to the hotel, declaring her conviction of its utter impossibility. She was, however, dreadfully agitated, quand même. She met Parker on the steps of the hotel, and placed her hand upon his arm, absolutely breathless and speechless. "Fanny," said Parker, "you are no doubt surprised that I did not either go to you or inform you of my arrival in town." Fanny looked earnestly in his face,—"but," continued Parker,—and he hesitated. "Pray, speak," said Fanny, and she pressed both her hands on her left side. She had of late often complained that she felt pain there; but at that moment it was agonising and seemed almost to produce suffocation, which might have been seen by the purple tint of her quivering lips. "I have bad news for you," said Parker, rather confused than agitated. "I am going to be married," he continued, observing that Fanny could not speak. At these words Fanny's whole countenance underwent such a violent change that Parker was terrified and, calling a hackney-coach, they
- 42. stepped into it and came home together while I was sitting with Julia, at whose house Fanny still resided. The little sitting-room which Fanny had furnished and fitted up for herself was a back parlour, looking into a garden. Her veil was down when she descended from the coach, and, though we expected they would have come upstairs, Julia and I determined not to interrupt them. I was to pass the day with Julia: and, when the dinner was on the table, the servant was desired to knock at Fanny's door and inform Colonel and Mrs. Parker that we were waiting. The servant brought us word that they must beg to be excused. I became uneasy and, without knocking or any further ceremony, entered the room. Fanny was sitting on the sofa with her head reclined on the pillow. She was not in tears and did not appear to have been shedding any; but her face, ears, and throat were visibly swollen, and her whole appearance so changed that I was frightened. "My dear Fanny, what is the matter?" Fanny did not even lift her eyes from their fixed gaze on the earth. "Colonel Parker," said I, "for God's sake, tell me what has happened." "She heard some unpleasant news too abruptly," said Colonel Parker. "I implore you not to inquire," said Fanny, speaking with evident difficulty. "I would not be left alone this night, and I have been on my knees to entreat Parker to remain with me. He refuses." "Surely you do not mean to leave her in this state;" said I, addressing Parker. "I can do her no good. It is all too late, since my word is passed and in ten days I shall be the husband of another. My presence irritates her and does her harm." "Fanny, my dear Fanny," said I, "can you make yourself so completely wretched for a man who acts without common humanity towards you?"
- 43. "Pray, pray, never expect to console me in this way," said Fanny impatiently. "I derive no consolation from thinking ill of the father of my dear child." "Come to bed, dear Fanny," said I, taking hold of her burning hand. "Yes, I shall be better in bed." We assisted her upstairs. She seemed stupefied, and could neither speak nor shed tears. At about one Parker left her. Fanny kept her bed for two days, and, on the third, she thought herself much better. "All I entreat of you is to keep secret from me the day of their marriage and everything connected with it," said Fanny. We promised to do our best to prevent her hearing a word more on the hateful subject. Fanny changed the conversation immediately, and forced herself to go into society as usual; but her lips now assumed a blueish tint, whenever she made the slightest exertion, or hurried upstairs, or walked fast, and she would put her hand on her left side, and say, "There is something very wrong and odd about my heart, of that I am certain; and so, as it may be of use to others, perhaps to some of my sisters, I hope that when I am dead you will have my body examined." There was a man, a brute I should rather say, whose passion she had good-naturedly laughed at, who actually brought her a piece of Parker's wedding-cake, and informed her of the day and hour on which they were married. Fanny almost went on her knees to implore us not to enter her bedroom for the whole of the next day. After that, she appeared nearly the same as usual, except that she coughed rather more, and began to discover that a single glass of wine always produced fever; but she looked as fresh and lovely as ever. Her character however was completely changed, from gay to serious, and she was always occupied in writing or reading. When I went to France, Fanny's mind had been much relieved by some kind letters from Parker, assuring her that he would, on his return to town, always visit her and his child. He even led her to
- 44. believe that his marriage had been merely a convenient one, in order to obtain promotion in the army, and that his heart had never changed. Fanny talked soon of joining me in Paris. Meyler, with whom I had not once quarrelled since I had received him only as a visitor, promised to follow me in a week. As to Julia, she could not leave her dear long-backed Mr. Napier for a single day. Ladies on the wrong side of forty become so very tender! Lord Frederick Bentinck drove me in his tilbury the two first stages on my road to Dover, and then, after a world of good advice and many questions as to where I expected to go after I was dead, he took his leave, and I continued my journey towards Paris, accompanied only by my femme de chambre, and my young provoking nephew, George Woodcock. We were all three so weary when we reached Paris, that, having hired some handsome rooms in the Rue de la Paix, we kept our beds for about two days and a half. On the third day, we went out to look about us, and were much struck and pleased with the Place Vendôme, and many more places which have been sufficiently described by others; but, what astonished me most, was seeing the public walks and gardens filled with statues which had no broken noses, and full-blown roses which nobody meddled with. "John Bull then must be a very mischievous fellow," said I to myself; "or, what is worse, he has no respect for the fine arts." En attendant Monsieur Meyler, my landlord was kind enough to show me a few of the Paris Lions. We went to the Palais Royale, where I saw more fine women than were to be met with in any other part of Paris. We visited the Louvre, and there I saw many fine statues; but I have forgotten all about every one of them except the Apollo Belvidere, and that I shall remember for ever; not for its beauty, but for the appearance of life, fire, and animation, which never can be described nor imagined by anybody who has not seen it. The quivering lips—the throat! Surely there was life and pulsation about that statue! It is said, that a fair lady once sat by the Apollo, whom
- 45. she could not warm, till she went raving mad, and in that state died. I really think that, if they had not come to divert my attention, I should have been in danger of following her example. "We are free as air, you know, my dear," said Meyler, on the very first night of his arrival, in Paris. "I have been most true to you for more than two years, nor am I tired of you now in the least; but, never having had an intrigue with a Frenchwoman, and being here for the first time, of course I must try them merely for fun, and to have something to talk about. You know, a young man with thirty thousand a year must try everything once in his life; but I shall love you the better afterwards." "A delightful plan," said I, striving with all the power of my mind to conceal my rage and jealousy, "provided it be mutually followed up, and I can conceive nothing more agreeable than our meeting, about once a week or so, and passing a day together for the sole purpose of hearing each other's adventures." "Oh nonsense! Mere threats," said Meyler. "I don't believe you will ever be inconstant. You are in fact too constant for Paris. One has enough of all that hum-drum stuff in England. I am sure I have had enough of it for the last two years, and begin to wish there was no such thing as constancy in the world." I could have almost murdered Meyler for this insulting speech; but that pride made me force myself to seem of his way of thinking. "Where are you staying?" I inquired with affected carelessness. "At the Hôtel de Hollande, exactly opposite your own door," he replied. "Never mind," said I, "I shall not have time to watch you." "What are you going to do this evening?" Meyler inquired, growing uneasy, and more in love as he began to believe in my indifference. "I have made a charming new acquaintance already. An Italian lady who resides in this Hotel has invited me to dine with her," said I.
- 46. "Will you present me?" Meyler inquired. "Why no, that would be too cool a thing to do till I know her better." "To-morrow morning then, I suppose, you are to be found, in case I should not be otherwise engaged, at about two." "Why no, not so, for my carriage is ordered at ten in the morning, and I shall be out the whole of the day, with a French party, seeing sights." "Where shall I see you, then?" said Meyler, vexed, fidgety, and almost forgetting his project of making up to Frenchwomen, since the chief enjoyment and zest of such a pursuit was expected to arise out of my jealousy. "Why, really, Meyler, this plan of as free as air, which you know you proposed, is so decidedly to my taste, that I cannot sufficiently express to you my obligation. I begin to wish with you, that there was no such thing as constancy in the world, particularly when I recollect how very Darby-and-Joan-like we lived together in London; but I dare say we shall meet at the Opera towards midnight, and, if we don't, never mind, love," said I, kissing my hand to him as I went towards the door. "Where are you going then?" asked Meyler. "To a party in the Hotel, to whom my Italian friend presented me yesterday. Au revoir, mon voisin," said I, and then called Monsieur François, my new laquais de place, to conduct me where I was to pass the evening. CHAPTER XXXIII I had acted my part well, and satisfied my pride, but not my heart. No matter. It won't do to play the game of hearts in Paris, and, wherever we may be, we must take the world as we find it.
- 47. At this French party, I expected that the men would be tumbling over each other in their too great zeal to show me their national politeness. Quite the contrary, the young Frenchmen were as indifferent as even Brummell himself, to every woman turned of twenty; but the old high-bred, high-born Frenchmen were all remarkably intelligent, polite and agreeable. There was present among the company, a French naval officer, who had passed two months of his life in London, and would insist on boring me with his bad English. "It may be all vare fine, fore to go to Inglant, fore vat I do know; but, fore my part, in de short time I vas dare I had not de goot fortune to fine out de fine at all. Vare is de most fine pictures? I ask —and dey tell me to go to Somaresetous, an to Pell Mell, vat you call. I go, an dey make me pay fore von book, vish I read. Von vare fine orishinal of dis, von fine copee of dat, an dis ting, an oter ting, and I den vos pay agen: an ven I go in, dese ting are all exécrable! Ven at de Louvre I pay noting, to see avari ting vat is good. "'Vot is next?' I ask. 'De Tower' day say vare fine indeed. Oui, certainly. I do remembare everybody do tell to me, in France, de Tower is de most fine of all de spectacle in London. But den I most pay for dese sight too. It is no dis vay in Paris I say; but, n'importe: it is mean of de na-ti-on to make pay for everyting von can see, but never mind; an I do pay. Vot do dey show to me fore all dis money?... Muskets! I don't vont fore to see de muskets! Vot for should any man vont fore to see great many muskets, all put straight togeter fore to do noting? My Inglese frend tell to me afterwards dat Inglant is most célébere fore her agriculture! I haf de great disposition fore dat science myself, I repond. Vel den de Ingleeshman tell to me, I shall gif you von lettare of introduction to de chef of de Agricultural Société, who leef near Carmarthen en Vales. Oh my goot leetil man, I say. But it is so long vay off, my frent tell to me. Never mind, I tell to him, I com to Inglant fore to see all, and I love de most of all dis science, vich is so parfait, I do know, in your contree. Vel, so I gif de lettare, an I take my place in de mail coche. Ah! for example! vare nice horse and travail indeet; bote it
- 48. rain all de vay, an I vos two nights on my voyage. At last, I arrive and pracent my lettare. "Vot you tink vos in this man's garten? "Noting, I gif you my honour, boate some cabage and some myrtle, and great mosh tornep tops, and soam leettil pot of de sweet pea. "'Vot den for Got, devil he send me here to learn agriculture?' I ask. "An dis man say stop a minute, an aftare he take me to a société, vare von old man make vare large discours for rule of agriculture, in de velsh langage, vich vos, I vos assure, de most fine langage in de vorlt fore de expression. Ma foi! An I am retours agen to Londres. I take my logement in your best quartare, vare, I vos tel, is all de beau monde, bote, certainement, I cannot see mush vare particulare beauté in vot ees call de beaux jardins of Laistare Square." I did not see Meyler again till the following evening at the opera, when, being both tired of shamming more indifference than we really felt, we went home together. Meyler was looking remarkably handsome and well. He told me that Lord Ebrington was in Paris, and had promised to present him at court the next day. "What do you think of his lordship?" I inquired. "He is one of the handsomest, most sensible, and distinguished looking young noblemen in Europe," Meyler replied. "Very well, I am glad you like him, and I am glad he is here; because, if you treat me too ill, or again mortify me by saying you are sick of my constancy, and wish nobody was constant in the world, alors, vois tu, on peut se consoler." "Point du tout," answered Meyler, "for, of course, if Lord Ebrington had any fancy for you he would prove it. I am not such a vain fool as to believe any woman breathing would have me, or remain an hour with me, if she could be even tolerated by Lord Ebrington." "Now Meyler, pray don't go out of your way to provoke me. You cannot, nobody can, or ever did imagine I would stay with a man
- 49. whom I disliked, merely for his money: and further, what pleasure do you find in striving to wound and humble my vanity thus, as if I was and had been constant to you from necessity alone?" "I did not say you could not get others. I know to the contrary. I only said what I firmly believe, which is that, were you, this very night, to send a note to Lord Ebrington, inviting him to your bed even, he would not come." Thus did this provoking creature delight in teasing me, and the next half-hour he would seem passionately devoted to me. For the first month, Meyler went everywhere, and I led a very gay life: that is, with regard to going every night to parties, masquerades, balls, and other amusements. One day, a friend of Meyler's, Bradshaw, told me that Meyler led a most dissipated life, and made up to at least half a dozen Frenchwomen in a week. The idea had not struck me with such force of truth before, and I was suddenly oppressed with very low spirits; so writing an excuse to the party where I was expected to sup, I sat down at my window to watch the door of Meyler's hotel, which was opposite to mine, for the arrival of his well-known, little, elegant chariot. The moment it caught my eye, I despatched my servant with a note begging him to come over to me immediately. He obeyed my summons in very ill humour, declaring that I made him feel as though he had a net thrown over him, and that it was impossible to be happy without perfect liberty. This harshness to one like me, who had been hitherto so spoiled and indulged, affected me with the deepest melancholy. I felt it the more too from being in a foreign country. Meyler had wounded my pride in a way I should have resented at another moment; but I was in Paris alone, my mother and her family not having yet joined me. Meyler was my only friend, and, but for Meyler, I might probably have been now married to Worcester, whose tender care of me and devoted attentions could scarcely be understood or described. "Meyler," said I, almost in tears, "I wish all the world to enjoy perfect liberty, and you must admit that, generally speaking, it has been my
- 50. request that you only remain with me while my society is pleasant to you; but this night I am unwell, and my spirits are greatly depressed by what Mr. Bradshaw has told me. You know I am not a likely person to wear the willow, or be long unhappy, if you have ceased to prefer me to all other women; but, this night I would entreat, and consider it as a favour, if you would remain with me for an hour." "Can't you enter into the secret of my temper," said this most provoking little man, in his usual impressive, slow way. "Can't you understand that, were you to make it your particular request that I should sit down on that chair, at the very moment when I was about to do so, it would be the very reason why I should determine against it?" "Common delicacy, such as is due to yourself as a gentleman," I continued, "might induce you not to wound my pride, or insult me by leaving me, at the moment when I have every reason to believe it is for the purpose of visiting another woman; one too of that class, which is even unsought by any Englishman who may fall in their way. This has been told me by your friend; but if you will give me your honour that such is not the case I will believe you." "You are not my father confessor," answered Meyler roughly, and then ran downstairs, got into his carriage, and drove off without farther ceremony. If I had bowed in meek submission to Meyler's will, and endured all this unfeeling, insulting treatment in humble silence, wetting my solitary pillow with my tears, perhaps some might have voted me a saint, from which opinion I take the liberty to differ. We must, as I think, treat those capricious men as we find them. Meyler's affections were not to be so preserved, even if it had not been contrary to my nature and my spirit to submit to undeserved insult without offering la pareille. Had I been a wife or a mother, I might have thought differently, as it was, anger now took the place of tenderness. I dried up my tears, settled my disordered curls by the glass, and, being fixed as a rock in my determination to leave Meyler at once and immediately, I was undecided as to my choice of doing
- 51. so. I wanted to convince him of my perfect contempt and indifference. I should have preferred being pointed at by the whole world, as one of the most profligate women breathing, rather than that any one should imagine me capable of wearing the willow for a mere sugar-baker, who could forsake me and openly seek the society of the lowest women, in preference to mine. At this moment, choosing whom I might prefer myself, as an instrument to execute my proposed vengeance, was quite a secondary consideration. I thought only on the person who might be most likely to inspire Meyler with jealous rage and envy. Such is poor human nature; and I have said before that I am but a mere woman, with at least as many imperfections on my head as women usually have to answer for. I allude only to handsome women, who have been as much tempted as I have. I very soon decided upon Lord Ebrington, as being the man Meyler professed to think most desirable, and, at the same time, whose attention he conceived it would be most difficult for me to obtain, and I wrote as follows: "MY DEAR LORD EBRINGTON,—You and I made each other's acquaintance when I was very young, and soon parted. By mutual consent we cut each other's acquaintance. Yesterday I saw you looking remarkably well. You were in Meyler's barouche. You have sense enough to love candour, and, when women mean the same thing, you have the same respect for them, whether they go a roundabout way to work, or straight forward. In a word then, I am willing to renew our acquaintance, believing it just possible, that, if you were tired of me long ago, when I was quite a different sort of person, you may like me now; while, at the same time, I may be less afraid of you than I was formerly. Qu'en pensez vous? "H.W." Answer:
- 52. "Will ten o'clock this evening suit you? If so, I shall have much pleasure in visiting you. "E." Revenge is sometimes sweet, even to the most forgiving lady, when the manner of it is not too desperate. Ebrington came. He was then particularly handsome and sensible, and his manners were as gentle, shy, and graceful almost as those of Lord Ponsonby himself. Few woman could have disliked a tête-à-tête with Lord Ebrington. The thing was scarcely possible, supposing he had been in the humour to make them like it. The fact is I gloried in being a match for Meyler's vile impertinence. Naturally frank, I did not conceal the real state of things from Ebrington. I paid his vanity a wretched compliment, he said; but still he should have been proud to have accepted my invitation under any circumstances. Ebrington was not a new lover. I had known him long before I ever saw Meyler; but he was proud, and reserved, and shy, and he had not taken the trouble to draw me out, or discover that I professed any more quickness than girls in general. I always thought the expression of his countenance remarkably fine, and now that we conversed more freely and I had an opportunity of judging of his very agreeable qualities, from his lively pleasant conversation, it was impossible to avoid drawing comparisons by no means favourable to Meyler, who, though perfectly graceful and gentlemanlike, was far from well read, and, as for conversation, he seldom spoke at all. Moreover, at this instant, I had good reason to believe the provoking little reptile was actually in the arms of some frail, very frail, French woman. I asked Ebrington, while we were taking our chocolate the next morning, in my very gay, luxurious dressing-room, how he came to be so cold a lover at a time when I was certainly handsomer and in the very first bloom of my youth? "I cannot account for it," answered Ebrington; "but, since you love candour, I will tell you that you did not then inspire me with any
- 53. warmer sentiment than such general admiration as one cannot help feeling towards any fine girl. We met by accident, and soon parted I believe, without much regret on either side." "Quant à moi, je vous en répond, mon ami," said I, determined not to be behind on the score of indifference. "Since that," continued Ebrington, "I have heard of nothing but Harriette Wilson wherever I went. I could not help wondering what Ponsonby or Worcester had discovered in you that was so very charming, and yet could so entirely have escaped my observation." "You vile, impertinent monster!" interrupted I. "Never mind, dear Harry," continued Ebrington, "for I love you dearly now." "And I like you twice as well as I did six or seven years ago," I retorted. "Very complimentary to us both," said Ebrington. "In fact, you are now exactly what I always liked. Formerly, you were too shy for my taste. I would have given anything that you had sent for me merely because you fancied me. Nothing can be so gratifying and delightful to my feelings, as the idea of having inspired a fine woman with a strong, irresistible desire to make me her lover, whenever the desire is not a general one. "I remember having once made the acquaintance of a woman who was greatly to my taste, and who, as I almost fancied, was disposed to favour me in return. After much difficulty I obtained her consent to indulge me with a private meeting, and she agreed to come into my chariot, in which I took her up at the end of a retired lane at the back of her father's house. She was a young widow. We were scarcely seated, when her very natural, frank, and flattering exclamation of 'Oh how very happy I am, to find myself at last here alone with you,' produced such a pleasant effect on me that I have never forgotten it."
- 54. Ebrington did not leave me till past two o'clock in the day, having obtained my permission to return to me early on the same evening. About half an hour after his departure Meyler entered my room, and, as was invariably the case, after he had used me harshly, was all smiles and tenderness. "My dearest Harriette," said he, "I confess Bradshaw told you the truth. I have been intriguing, since I came to Paris, with almost every Frenchwoman I could find. Que voulez- vous? It is the nature of the animal. I am not naturally sentimental. Frenchwomen, being a great novelty to me, inspired me for the moment; but I could never visit any one of them a second time. So much the contrary, that I ran away from any one I had once visited, when I met them in the streets, with feelings of the strongest disgust. Last night has cured me of intriguing with Frenchwomen. I returned home, more in love with you, dearest Harriette, than ever. In short, I was dying to see you, to kiss you, and ask your forgiveness on my knees: but it was too late, your house was shut up, and I dared not disturb you." "You will never disturb me again," answered I, very quietly. "What do you mean?" "I have seen Lord Ebrington." "What! When we passed your house in my barouche." "I am not so platonic as to have been satisfied with that. No, I sent for him: but you know, you affirmed that I might do this with safety, since you were sure he would not obey my summons. Qu'en pensez- vous actuellement?" "Pray," said Meyler, trembling from head to foot, "put me out of suspense." "Je ne demande pas mieux, je t'en répond," answered I, "only," and I looked at him as I advanced towards the door for safety, "only promise not to beat me nor break my head." "Nonsense! Pray, pray don't torment me." "Why not? You felt no remorse in vexing me, last night."
- 55. "Yes, indeed I did, after I had left you." "And of what service was that to me, think you? However, I never wished to deceive you nor any man. Briefly then, I beg to inform you that I sympathise with you in your love of variety, and you will, I am sure, give me credit for excellent taste, when I inform you that I have made a transfer of my affections from you to Lord Ebrington, who passed the night here, et qui doit faire autant ce soir." I expected abuse; but, at all events, something like coldness of manner from Meyler. Oh! que les hommes sont bizarres. Quite the contrary. Meyler's spirits sunk into despondency: he actually shed tears, which, with him, was a very unusual event. He was now at my feet, the humble sighing, adoring, suppliant lover again. "You have a good heart, Harriette," said he, "and, whatever my faults may have been, I am now sufficiently punished. My health, as you know, has been seriously affected lately. I therefore implore you to send away Lord Ebrington and give me one more trial. I will be as constant and as attentive to you as you can possibly wish." The little interesting sugar-baker looked very pale; but always very handsome. I say little, from the mere habit I had acquired, with more of his friends, of calling him little Meyler; for his person was very well proportioned, and altogether of the full middle size; but then the expression of his features possessed that soft style of beauty which would have been suitable to a woman. To proceed, Meyler remained with me without his dinner till past eight o'clock. He would not eat, and could not leave me. At nine, I expected Lord Ebrington, who believed me watching for him with tender anxiety. By this time, fasting and fretting had made poor Meyler seriously unwell. I was not destitute of humanity towards even the worst of my fellow creatures; but it is not, was not, and never will be in my nature to forget insult, nor to love any man, after he has practised open infidelity towards me. "Meyler," said I to him at last, just as the clock was about to strike the hour of nine, and I was in momentary expectation of seeing Lord
- 56. Ebrington enter the room, "since you have stayed here so long, and appear really annoyed, I will not turn you out of the room to admit another man." I then hastily scribbled a few lines of apology to Lord Ebrington and handed it to my woman, requesting her to carry the letter down to the porter's lodge to be delivered to his lordship as soon as he should enter. Meyler was all joy and wild rapture: more in love, perhaps, even, than on the day I first went to him, after he had been pining for one whole year and a quarter. For my part, the idea that so many of the lowest women had lately been favoured with his smiles entirely prevented my sympathising in his feeling. Ebrington seemed at least to respect and love me. He was handsome, accomplished, of high birth, and not quite turned of thirty. I was already beginning to prefer his lordship, and was it to be wondered at, all the circumstances considered? Meyler wanted me to promise never to see nor speak to Ebrington again; but, as it was contrary to my taste and principles to leave any man I had once favoured, as long as he gave me no cause to complain of him, I told Meyler he had better waive the subject, for I would positively make no promise, one way or the other. With this answer he was obliged to be content. CHAPTER XXXIV The next morning Lord Ebrington called on me in his cabriolet. Meyler, who had just left me, was watching my house from his own window opposite. Meyler was man of the world enough to subdue his feelings so far as to treat Ebrington with something like civility. Not that he feared fighting; ridicule alone was the bugbear, which made him smother his rising anger till he had quite subdued it. My two beaux seemed
- 57. bent on sitting each other out; the difficulty was to hit upon subjects for conversation. We had gone over that lame one, the weather, at least three times, and the dirty streets of Paris, the French cookery, &c. Ebrington now tried Bonaparte, then pictures, next statues: but Meyler knew no more about them all than the man in the moon, even if he had been disposed to converse, which was seldom the case at any time. At last, luckily for me, they both recollected that they were invited to a large dinner with some of the French royal family, and had only just time to dress. Meyler called me aside to entreat that I would receive him after dinner. I refused. Meyler was in a passion. I declared we must part, since those Frenchwomen had for ever spoiled the pleasure I used to feel in his society. "Then I'll cut the dinner, and stay here all my life," said Meyler, quietly seating himself. "We shall be too late, Meyler," called out Ebrington from the drawing-room. Dreading some difference between these two gentlemen, I at length promised to receive Meyler in the evening, since that appeared to be my only chance of getting rid of him. I had this day invited a new and very pleasing female acquaintance to dine with me. She was an Italian widow, of exactly my own age, with the true, soft, Italian expression of countenance. A native of Naples, she had accompanied her son to Paris for the purpose of placing him in a celebrated college. He was a delicate, bilious-looking, interesting child of eleven years of age, with large, pensive black eyes, and thick black fringes to them. He wore, in common with all the youths of that institution, a large cocked hat, with a tight, military blue coat, faced with a lighter shade of the same colour. His appearance formed an odd contrast to that of my young nephew, George Woodcock, whom I had brought to Paris with me. George was a fair, fresh-coloured, remarkably strong, active boy, with white, thick curly hair, dressed in a light blue jacket and trousers, with a small ruff round his throat. He did not know one single word of French: nay, more, was such a complete John Bull as to declare upon his word
- 58. and honour that he would take all the care he possibly could not to learn it. All he feared and dreaded was that the vile jargon should come to him by itself, in spite of all he could do to prevent it. My Italian friend, whose Christian name was Rosabella, inhabited the same hotel with me. Her constant visitor was a most sanguine Bonapartist, who had formerly been employed by that emperor as ambassador to the court of Naples. I forget this man's name; but I remember he treated Rosabella with the affectionate kindness of a father. His manners were very refined; but so excessively formal and ceremonious that he used to put me into a fever. If he came up to a carriage during a heavy fall of rain, nothing we could say would induce him to put on his hat, and as to putting on his great coat in a room where I happened to be sitting, even at Rosabella's own house, he could not endure such an idea. Rosabella was naturally as frank as myself. In our second or third interview, she informed me that she had married at the age of thirteen, by her parents' commands, an old Frenchman whom she hated, and who might, in point of years, have been her grandfather; that her disgust and dislike towards her better half was at its height when she was accidentally thrown into the society of Monsieur l'Ambassadeur, who, in the course of due time—in one, two or three years, I forget which—had completely won her heart, and the result and pledge of their love was her only son, the young Carlo, who, having been presented in form to young George Woodcock, was no doubt remarkably communicative, seeing that he knew but little French, which language he spoke with a strong Italian accent, while George Woodcock vowed and declared he would sooner do anything than understand one word of their vile lingo. Carlo was a prodigy of learning for his age. No expense, which could be imagined by fond parents as likely to forward or facilitate his studies, was spared or ever neglected. He had a private tutor kept for him at the college, and whom Rosabella would constantly invite to her table. All her hopes on earth were centred in her child, who slept on a bed of down and drank only of the most delicate wines.
- 59. He was already a good poet, and rhymed in four different languages; but the poor child appeared to me to be actually dying a victim to severe study, combined with want of exercise. His mother indeed took him home every Saturday night, and he remained with her till the following Monday; but she made him draw plans by way of recreation, with his tutor, almost the whole of the day. At the time we became acquainted, poor Carlo was afflicted with an oppression on the chest, attended with a cough, and Rosabella, having remarked the bright bloom on George's cheeks, snatched her poor little, interesting skeleton of a child to her heart, and half smothered him with the ardour of her kisses, and then burst into tears. I endeavoured to console her with the assurance I felt, that Carlo only required air and relaxation in order to recover his health. "He shall have a week's holiday," said poor Rosabella, "and play with your nephew all day long, merely to try its effect." I interpreted what she said to my nephew, who immediately seized hold of the delicate Carlo, saying, "Come along with me, little Boney. There's a castor for you," taking up the child's large cocked hat, which was full half as big as himself, and, pressing it down on his head by main force, "one may see you're a Boney in a minute. Never mind. I won't be such a coward as to leather you till you get stronger, for fear I should kill you; so come with me my little fellow, and I will teach you to swim and play at cricket." "Plait-t'il?" said Carlo, raising his large languid eyes to George's face from the pencil he was cutting. "Veux-tu jouer avec le petit Anglais, mon enfant?" inquired Rosabella. "Volontiers," answered Carlo, throwing aside his pencil and gracefully bowing to George, as he took off the huge military cocked hat, which George had fastened tight on his head by dint of hard thumps on the top of it with his fist. "Come along," said George, dragging Carlo forward to the spacious courtyard below.
- 60. The contrast which these two children of exactly the same age exhibited, both in their characters and persons, was too striking to have been overlooked, even by the most careless observer: for my part, it furnished me with no inconsiderable source of amusement. Rosabella and I were quietly taking our dessert together immediately after our early dinner, when I was astonished by the re-appearance of Meyler. "What, returned already?" I exclaimed. "Why, I scarcely imagined that you had sat down to table." "I shall get into a nice scrape," answered Meyler. "Only fancy me, while two of the royal family were present, jumping up actually in the middle of dinner, merely using the words, 'a pain here,' and with my hand to my head bolting out of the room?" "What could induce you to be so very rude?" I inquired. "Why, Lord Ebrington, who was to have dressed and met me at the door, never made his appearance at dinner; I therefore took it for granted he was coming here instead." "You will have enough to do," said I, "if you have determined to turn spy on either of our actions, after I have told you that I never shall wish to live with you again. Now that you have thus insulted and publicly neglected me, I must choose of two things, either to hate you and be eternally in a passion with you, or to avoid your society. I know you now, and your tastes and pursuits. Still we may continue on friendly, good terms; but all illusion is destroyed." This growing indifference on my part served to rouse the sluggish disposition of Meyler. He was all attention and, what is still more astonishing, he was now in high spirits. Competition with a rival was what inspired him with most passion and energy, he said, and nothing on earth made him half so much in love. He loved to feel himself in a fever of doubt and agitation about a woman. It was the only thing which kept him awake, made his blood circulate, and did him good.
- 61. Rosabella took her leave soon after the return of Meyler, who was so afraid of Ebrington making his appearance, that he feigned being extremely indisposed, an excuse for inducing me to retire to rest and shut up my doors for the night. The next morning I received the following letter from my sister Fanny; "MY DEAR HARRIETTE,—My journey to Paris is put off for the present, and our dear mother will arrive without me, accompanied by our brothers, George and Charles, with Jane, Charlotte and Rose. My spirits are not at present equal to any sort of exertion. Parker has inquired often, and kindly, after his child, and has twice been to visit me; but I will not dwell on this melancholy subject. I am writing in Parker's old bedroom. Methinks, the bed looks like a tomb. However, reflection is all nonsense. I would fain tell you something in the shape of news, but really, I scarcely ever leave the house. Brummell's sun, they say, is setting, which, you'll answer, was the story long ago; but, since that, I am told Brummell won twenty thousand pounds, that is too now gone, and he is greatly embarrassed. Poor Lord Alvanly they say is just in the same plight. Napier's passion for Julia continues to increase. I will not call it love or affection, else why does he with his twenty thousand a year suffer her to be so shockingly distressed? On the very day you left England, Julia had an execution in her house and the whole of her furniture was seized. I really thought she would have destroyed herself. I insisted on her going down to Mr. Napier at Melton by that very night's mail, to whom I wrote, earnestly entreating him to receive her with tenderness, such as the wretched state of her mind required. A man of Mr. Napier's sanguine temperament was sure to receive any fine woman with rapture, who came to him at Melton Mowbray, where petticoats are so scarce and so dirty; but, if he had really loved her, he surely would have immediately paid all her debts, which do not amount to a thousand pounds, as well as ordered her upholsterer to new- furnish her house.
- 62. "Would you believe it? Julia has returned with merely cash or credit enough to procure little elegant necessaries for Napier's dressing-room, and, for the rest, her drawing-room is covered with a piece of green baize, and, in lieu of all her beautiful little knick-knacks and elegant furniture, she has two chairs, an old second-hand sofa, and a scanty, yellow cotton curtain. Her own bed was not seized. It is now the only creditable piece of furniture in the house of Napier's adored mistress, one of the richest commoners in England, who is the father of her infant. I except my own room of course, which has not been disturbed. Amy thinks of going to Paris almost directly. Paget, as Lord of the Treasury, must remain in London, and only pay her flying visits. Nugent and Luttrell are also going. I suppose you know that your prime favourite, Ward, went to the continent with Ebrington, and, I understand, they go on to Italy together: that is to say, if they continue to agree. Ward has been making love to me lately. The other day, he said something to me which I fancied so truly harsh, coarse, and indelicate, that it produced a violent hysterical affection, which I found it impossible to subdue. The remarks I made were certainly, as I conceive, what every female with the least decency or delicacy must have made, en pareil cas. "Ward wanted me to submit to something I conceived improper. When I refused, he said, with much fierceness of manner, such as my present weak state of nerves made me ill able to bear, 'D ——d affectation.' I afterwards repeated every particular of what had occurred to Ward's friend Luttrell, who frankly answered, with his earnest serious face, 'It looks bad! 'tis a bad story. 'Twas coarse and brutal! There's no excuse for inhumanity of manner or expression, when applied to a woman!' Nugent tried to excuse him. "'Ward,' said Nugent, 'is so clever that I respect him. He has a bad temper, I confess: but for this there would be nothing to say against him.'
- 63. "Sophia and Lord Berwick appear to go on in the old humdrum way. Nobody visits them in their opera box, except our brother John. In fact, I believe Lord Berwick will not permit them. Harry De Roos declares Sophia to be most ridiculously jealous of her sister Charlotte's beauty. "'True,' said De Roos to me the other day, 'true, I fancy I ought to have offered my arm to her ladyship one night, instead of to Charlotte; but the latter was really so much handsomer, I could not resist. The next day, I dined with Lord Berwick, and, after dinner, placed myself by the side of her sister Charlotte, with whom I took pleasure in conversing, of course, on common subjects. Your mild sister Sophia fell into a violent rage, and began to blow like a kitchen-maid. I was amused at this, and induced to increase my attention to Charlotte. At length, Sophia's blood boiled over all at once, and, bouncing towards me, she said, "Mr. De Roos, if this is the kind of conduct, you mean to observe, we had better see no more of you." "'I answered very calmly, that her ladyship was certainly at liberty to choose her own society, and requested she would permit me to ring for a hackney-coach, since my own carriage was not coming till late. Sophia's footman was a long while gone in search of the coach, during which time I commenced a dead flirtation with Charlotte on purpose to mortify her sister.' "I must now conclude, my dear Harriette, whose happiness, I sincerely pray for. Apropos, I had almost forgotten to tell you of my new conquest of Lord Bective, who is really very humble, civil, and attentive to me. I know you will arraign my taste, when I say I rather like him: but then, you recollect, I always hated handsome men. "God bless you. I enclose a few lines for my poor boy, George, and beg you to believe in the lasting affection of "Your sister "FANNY."
- 64. I had scarcely finished reading my letter when Lord Ebrington called on me. "You have behaved very ill to me," said his lordship. I assured him it was not my fault; that I had frankly assured Meyler that it would no longer suit me to continue on the same terms with him in which we had formerly lived. "But still you admit him, just as usual," retorted Ebrington. "Because Meyler is so violent in his temper, and, just now, so uneasy in his mind, which, added to his indifferent state of health, is more than I can resist. Meyler will not remain long in France; but, while he is here, my heart fails me when I attempt to turn him out of my house, and he must be permitted to visit me; neither will I shock nor disgust him, while he is in this constant and penitent humour, by allowing him to find you so often here." Ebrington, being very proud, did not show half the disappointment he really felt. I refused to tell his lordship to which theatre I was going in the evening, lest his visit to our private box should annoy poor Meyler, for I still felt something like affection for him, although I could never speak to him, or think of him, without getting into a passion. I was agreeably interrupted by a visit from my dear mother, accompanied by my eldest sister, who was, I will not say, an old maid, and yet she certainly was not a very young one. They had left my brothers and sisters at their hotel, where they had arrived from England late the night before. My poor mother looked remarkably well, and I was delighted to have her in the same country with me. She had brought George Woodcock's young sister, little Anney, with her. She was a fine healthy child, of about eight years of age. Lord Ebrington was not presented to them, and took his leave. I insisted on their bringing the whole family to dinner, which they did. In the evening, they retired early. I accompanied Meyler to a private box, which he had engaged for me, at the French Opera House, where we had scarcely been seated half an hour, when Lord Ebrington
- 65. made his appearance, to the very evident annoyance of Meyler, who looked at me reproachfully, as though he imagined his lordship was there by my desire. I determined to set him right. "Does your lordship always attend the French Opera?" I inquired, and I was answered in the negative, and he frankly assured me that his visit to that theatre was expressly to look for me. I asked him how he could possibly know I was there. "I have already visited almost all the theatres to-night," answered Ebrington. Meyler's feelings were for once stronger than even his fear of ridicule, and he bounced out of my box, banging the door loudly after him. Ebrington, instead of taking notice of this, took the opportunity of our being tête-à-tête, to press me eagerly to appoint a time for his seeing me again. "How is it possible," I replied, "even if I wished it, since Meyler will not absent himself an hour from me, unless it is to accompany you somewhere? Meyler is very unhappy at your appearance in his box this evening, which was certainly rather bold of you; and, further, I am sorry, very sorry; for I know not how it is, but you certainly remind me of Lord Ponsonby, in voice in manner and in person. Notwithstanding, I positively mean to promise Meyler, this very evening, that, while he continues faithful, and so attentive to me, as he has been for the last few days, he shall not have his feelings and pride wounded by being intruded upon by you." Lord Ebrington reddened from mortified pride, as he said, with some little affectation of indifference, while taking up his hat to depart, "Tu fera ce que tu voudra, ma belle Harriette," and he bowed himself out of the box. Little Meyler's very expressive face brightened into a glowing blush, when I made a sign to him that Ebrington was gone; for he had placed himself in an empty box on my left side, where he was watching me in a very melancholy attitude, and whence he immediately joined me.
- 66. "Lord Ebrington shall not tease you any more," said I to him. "No matter what my feelings may be, I prefer anything to giving pain to the persons who appear to feel the least regard for me. Now the high and mighty don, my Lord Ebrington, if he does feel for anything, or anybody, conceals it so well by dint of sheer pride, that he seems a very statue when he likes, although he certainly likes to be just the reverse of this, when one gives him due encouragement. As for you, my little honest sugar-baker, you are not ashamed of shedding tears and acknowledging yourself unhappy about a woman; therefore I repeat you shall be annoyed no more. I felt indignant at Lord Ebrington taking the liberty of intruding himself into the private box you had hired for me, and therefore took that opportunity to give him his congé." Meyler seemed very grateful and excessively delighted. "How did Ebrington like being congédié?" he inquired. "Why, to tell the truth, I don't think he will die of it," I replied. For another fortnight, during which I had not once heard of Ebrington everything went on smoothly and charmingly. I could indeed never feel what I had felt for Meyler; but his attentions were received with gratitude, and I fancied that, if it were possible for him to continue in good temper, I could yet make myself tolerably happy with him, as often as I could drive his late, low and bare-faced intrigues out of my head. Ebrington, for what I knew, had again forgotten me; therefore, why in the name of common sense should I remember one who, though handsome and talented, proved himself at all times so very heartless. CHAPTER XXXV
- 67. One day as I was sitting at dinner with Rosabella, a poor Italian introduced himself to her, and had the art to impose himself upon her as a countryman of her own of very high rank, who had returned from the Spanish wars in the greatest possible distress, and had just left his lovely wife, who was of noble blood, entirely unprotected. Rosabella offered her mite at once. I wish I had followed her example; but, instead of this, in my eagerness to contribute more substantially to his relief, I addressed a letter to Lord Fife, whom I had twice met in Paris, requesting him to take compassion on the unfortunate bearer of it, who found himself, after enduring the fatigues of a hard campaign in Spain, deserted in a foreign land, where he was likely to starve, if none of us came forward with at least so much relief as might enable him to return to Naples. The poor wretch came to me on the following morning, with a countenance which appeared the very image of despair. "Hélas!" he exclaimed, "milord Fife ne m'a rien donné." I then recollected my old beau Wellington, who, I knew, was at that time our ambassador at Paris, although I had not yet met with him: but I did not like to intrude myself on his recollection. However, I strongly advised the poor fellow to explain the real state of his case to His Excellency, and to acquaint me with the result. "Hélas!" reiterated the Italian, again returning, "je ne suis qu'un malheureux. Milord Villainton, ne veut rien faire, pour moi, non plus." Vexed and hurt at the idea of having given the poor fellow so much useless trouble, I from my own pocket handed him a five-pound note, and promised my influence with Mr. Henry Brougham, who, with Luttrell and his brother Nugent, had just arrived in Paris. My application to that friendly, kind-hearted man was successful, and the next day I presented a second bank-note for five pounds to my poor protégé, who seemed absolutely overcome by excess of gratitude.
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