How useful it is to issue digital certificates on the blockchain?

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Blockchain technology is used in several ways in varied industries for offering high-security managing distribution systems and recording valuable information. Blockchain records all transactions without any verification from third parties. An evolving issue in recent years is - counterfeiting certification. It is posing serious threats to people. Issuing paper-based certificates manually is prone to errors and time- consuming. Day by day, the number of people's data is increasing, so deploying a system for both issuing and verifying digital certificates based on blockchain technology can solve issues of forged documents.

What is the current problem with document certification?

Many organisations and businesses need original documents for verification purposes before further processing. Some valuable documents like (birth certificates) exist only once. Parties involved in verification and issuing other certificates may experience hesitancy to handle these sensitive documents and that can result in damage or even loss. Many parties are unable to protect the valuable physical pieces of paper with this process. Another big problem comes from data theft. Many people have reported it. So the question comes: how can this issue be solved? Creating digital proof or digital certificates certified or signed by respective institutions or authorised organisations can be beneficial. With blockchain-based digital certificates, you can access and verify the digital asset's authenticity without depending on any intermediary or third party. Traditional data records like paper files deteriorate over time. storing records like digital certificates on the blockchain can help in safeguarding sensitive credentials from destruction & damage. Blockchain document security methods can help users seamlessly secure their sensitive documents.

What about blockchain solutions?

Blockchain technology has brought a revolution in storing and sharing data. The mechanism of cryptography helps in keeping information fully secured. Blockchain offers a digital ledger or decentralised database of data. Centred on computer networks that approve updates before data get recorded and verified. It lessens the reliance and vulnerability of centralised data storage. Instead of handling physical pieces of documents, issuing and storing digital certificates in blockchain can be advantageous to users. You can efficiently utilise the benefits of blockchain, like - authentication, encryption and decentralisation. Every certificate consists of references of both issuer and receiver with a hash (a sign of document), that is stored in the public database. It is identical in the number of computers throughout the globe. These digital certificates with blockchain technology have vital additional advantages over any other certificates.

How does blockchain make digital certificates work?

When a digital certificate is issued, data gets digitised. A digital identity gets assigned to every certificate. All of the digital certificates are tagged as well as traceable. Original documents are stored safely in the computer networks in the blockchain which are known as nodes. In totality, blockchain makes digital certificates highly transparent and secured. It also makes it easy to unfurl any fraud because this technology can expose any forged or outdated certificates.

Are these digital certificates tamper-proof?

Yes, the digital certificates are tamper-proof not by just signing but right after the beginning of the transaction. A signing algorithm produces a signature that is encrypted through a private key. The digital signature in these certificates can never be forged without having access to the private key of the user or members. With the help of document security QR codes, users can secure their valuable credentials.

What are the potential benefits of issuing digital certificates on the blockchain?

Blockchain has evolved to be beneficial for the financial industry. This technology is the most talked about and sought-after technology used in the world. There are innumerable benefits of issuing digital certificates on the blockchain. Some of them are here: a) Require fewer resources for issuance: Issuance and maintenance of digital certificates on the blockchain require a very less number of resources. As a result, the whole process saves time, effort and human capital. b) Digital certificates are conveyable: Contrary to physical certificates, the digital ones issued on the blockchain need not be carried around every place. Digital certificates are there to exist for a lifetime. These certificates can be easily accessed on any of your devices from any part of the world. c) Ideal as Identity proof: Digital certificates based on blockchain are the best substitution for the traditional proofs of paper identification. Digital certificates are issued on a highly secured framework of blockchain which is fully secured. These verifiable certificates can be easily traced all the way back to an issuer. This method makes the procedure transparent. You can use the blockchain document security method for securing and storing your valuable documents. d) Gives overall data security: Paper certificates can also take days and months to get issued and dispatched. Paper certificates can be altered without issuing the institute's knowledge and that is risky. Digital certificates issued on the blockchain can not be altered by any person. If someone tries to tamper with it, then verification will fail. This makes data in your digital certificates fully secured as well as traceable. e) No third party requirement: Blockchain verification of digital certificates can be performed by any person having access to the network. There is no need for any third party interference for verification. Digital certificates can be verified even if any organisation that issued them no longer exists. f) For micro-credentialing: Every data remains encrypted in the digital certificates issued on the blockchain. Organisations or businesses can issue "micro-credentialing" for recognizing, career skills, learning and so on. It can help both students and organisations. g) Comes at an affordable cost: Using blockchain is not expensive. With the help of the blockchain-powered platform, you can issue digital certificates for numerous services with ease. You may need no extra software or hardware and be done with an internet connection. So in nutshell, the unique features of blockchain technology make issuing digital certificates easy and tamper-proof. Blockchain technology simplifies and facilities the entire process of issuance of digital certificates. It also helps in the easy transfer of these certificates leading to the expansion of contents and information. We hope in the next few years, more and more organisations will come forward in embracing digital certificates issuance on the blockchain. A blockchain document security system can help you to secure sensitive credentials with ease.

Ways to Scan QR Codes Reveal You to Security Threats

Posted on December 13, 2022

QR codes appear simple, but they can store lots of data. These codes allow the user to access information instantly. It is the reason they are known as a Quick Response code. And if you fear the security of QR codes, then you should consider blockchain secure qr code as they are immutable and safe.

A general QR code is a barcode that one can easily read by a digital device, and it stores information as a sequence of pixels in a square-shaped grid. QR codes track information related to products in a supply chain and for making payments. Most phones today have built-in QR scanners. You can access the data it has once you scan the QR code.

Threats Related to QR Codes

Attackers or hackers can embed spiteful URLs containing custom malware into a QR code that might exfiltrate data from a mobile device once scanned. It is even possible to implant a malicious URL into a QR code that leads to a phishing website, where unsuspecting users may disclose personal or financial data.

Since being a human being, you cannot read the QR code; attackers can easily alter a QR code to point to an alternative resource without getting detected. Though many of you know that QR codes can open a URL, you may be less aware of the other actions that QR codes may start on a user’s device. Apart from opening a website, these actions may include adding contacts or composing emails. This thing may make QR code security threats tricky.

Working of QR codes

The patterns on QR codes represent binary codes that can get interpreted to reveal the data of the code. A QR reader can recognize a standard QR code based on the three huge squares outside the QR code. When it has recognized these three shapes, it knows that everything within the square is a QR code.

The QR reader then evaluates the QR code by breaking the entire thing down into a grid. It looks at the separate grid squares and assigns each one a value based on whether it is white or black. It follows groups of grid squares to develop larger patterns.

Blockchain Based QR Codes are Safe

Many people are intimidated by the threats of standard QR codes. They feel if they scan the QR code to access the data or make the payment, they may become a victim of hackers. If you feel that way, think about blockchain-based QR codes. Many financial, educational, medical and other institutions use blockchain-based QR codes to ensure that the data on the code is safe and nobody can hack it.

The unique hash technology of blockchain QR codes makes it challenging to hack the system as they would require numerous computers to mess with the data. These hash values are like fingerprints and DNAs often present in a document or file. Hence, no two hash values can ever be similar. People can scan a document authentication QR code to access the data safely. They can safely scan the QR code, and it will not take them to any harmful website.

The Bottom Line

With the increase in QR Code exploits, both the users and enterprises offering contactless payment options must take crucial steps. Users should stay informed about the threats, and enterprises must have best security practices like blockchain-based hash value in the QR code to ensure the codes are safe. Know more about blockchain QR codes at ProofEasy and introduce them in your business/institution.