Security is one of the top priorities of the web3 ecosystem as the value of assets in web3 continues growing at a steady pace. As the losses due to security breaches in web3 increase by staggering margins with each passing year, it is important to learn about best practices for security in web3. Interestingly, blockchain technology, which serves as a core component of web3, can serve inherent security benefits for web3.
The distributed ledger technology has provided an ideal platform for developing the web3 landscape. Starting from smart contracts to cryptocurrencies and NFTs, web3 is incomplete without decentralized technology. You could wonder about the role of blockchain in web3 security and its benefits, as the web3 landscape has encountered formidable setbacks in terms of security. Let us find out how blockchain could empower web3 security.
Evolution of the Web
The best way to start exploring the relationship between blockchain and web3 security is to navigate the evolution of the web. The internet, web or World Wide Web, has been through multiple changes, and web3 is the third generation of internet. You can identify the importance of blockchain in web3 by identifying the limitations associated with previous iterations of the internet.
The first stage of the Internet, or Web 1.0, was created solely for read-only use cases and directories. The primary goal of Web 1.0 was information sharing, and there were a limited number of content creators. Web 1.0 largely included static pages, and most of the internet users were content consumers.
Web 2.0 changed the script and transformed internet users into content creators. The second version of the internet might have been responsible for initiating some of the popular web3 security threats, such as phishing and theft of sensitive information. Web 2.0 gained popularity for its design as a read-and-write web with the facility of social interactions.
Advancements in Web 2.0 also led to the rise of different web development frameworks, platforms, and programming languages. Web 2.0 enabled every network to have its own data, which enabled personalized interactions with users. It also provided the flexibility for dynamic content accessibility.
The biggest problem with Web 2.0 was the monopoly of tech giants and intervention of centralized authorities in web services. For example, you would have to create an account on a platform for using its services. Creating the account would require users to reveal their personal and sensitive information.
Web 3.0 changed the equation by introducing blockchain, a distributed ledger technology that enabled decentralization of the Internet. Apart from distributed ledger technology, web3 also leverages many other technologies, such as AI and IoT, to provide personalized web experiences to users. In addition, it also ensures that users have complete control over their data and online experiences.
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How Does Blockchain Help Web3?
Before you seek answers to “What is the role of blockchain?” in security of web3 solutions, it is important to understand the technology’s functionalities in web3. Distributed ledger technology helps in improving the internet. You can notice the growing trend of adoption of enterprise blockchain solutions, which redefine the systems and approaches for storing and managing data on the internet. The effective use of decentralization could help in conducting transactions without the involvement of third-party services such as Google, Amazon, or banks. Imagine conducting online transactions such as purchasing products or taking loans without the involvement of banks.
The primary advantages of distributed ledger technology include decentralization, transparency, security, and immutability. With a peer-to-peer network, consumers could find better transparency as anyone could check and validate data from blocks. It provides a trustless environment without any centralized intervention, which also leads to security vulnerabilities. Who would you complain to if you lose your assets in web3? The concerns regarding accountability in a trustless environment pose a major security threat for web3.
In addition, blockchain also provides the advantage of transparency, which again turns back as a disadvantage. For example, smart contracts on public blockchains are visible to everyone on the network. Malicious actors could exploit the vulnerabilities in smart contract code to compromise sensitive information or steal the assets of users.
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Importance of Blockchain Security
Web3 is susceptible to new types of attacks, including the existing array of exploits. However, you can find a clear impression of the role of blockchain in web3 security by learning about blockchain security. The ledger technology offers inherent security traits. It has been designed on the foundations of cryptography, consensus, and decentralization, which ensure security of transactions.
Most of the blockchains have the data in blocks, where each block contains a collection of multiple transactions. Every new block could connect to all the previous blocks in an immutable manner. In addition, every transaction in the blocks goes through validation through a consensus mechanism in which all network participants agree to the truth and correctness of a transaction.
On top of it, blockchain also facilitates another security advantage with decentralization. It ensures freedom from the concerns of a single point of failure, which is a security concern in centralized systems. At the same time, it is also important to note that blockchain technologies also have differences in certain crucial security aspects.
Difference in Security between Different Blockchain Variants
Blockchain networks could differ from each other in terms of access privileges to data. The relationship between blockchain and web3 security depends on the variations in types of networks. The different categories of networks include public, private, permissioned, and permissionless. Public or private networks are differentiated on the basis of permissions for participation. On the other hand, permissioned and permissionless networks are differentiated on the grounds of methods used for accessing the network.
Public blockchains could allow any individual to join the network, and they could remain anonymous. Private blockchains rely on identity mechanisms for confirming membership and access privileges and allow only known organizations to participate in the network. The permissionless networks do not impose any restrictions on validators or the individuals who would process transactions on the network. Permissioned blockchains feature a limited set of validators with verified identities.
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How Could Blockchain Help Web3 Security with its Challenges?
You can find multiple comprehensive resources with an outline of different types of web3 security attacks. Phishing, hacking, smart contract vulnerabilities, reentrancy attacks, flash loan attacks, and many other types of security risks could restrict the adoption of web3. Security threats in web3 have resulted in massive losses, which continue to increase every year. For example, the total losses in security breaches in the web3 industry crossed $3 billion in 2022.
In the first six months of 2023, the losses due to security breaches in web3 have crossed $650
million. Web3 solutions have been developed using blockchain technology, and still, they failed to safeguard the assets of users. Don’t you think that you should put the ledger technology through a test to check its potential to secure web3? The features of ledger technology have redefined the traditional tenets of cybersecurity.
You can test the potential of blockchain in web3 security by using the CIA model. The CIA model is an abbreviation for the three pillars of information security: confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It serves as a valuable model for developing security systems. How does blockchain perform against these three attributes of security systems?
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Confidentiality
Confidentiality implies the preservation of authorized restrictions on access privileges and information disclosure. It focuses on safeguards for proprietary information and personal privacy. You could think about questions like “What is the role of blockchain?” in terms of confidentiality for web3 users. The ledger technology could provide enhanced security control for ensuring data confidentiality.
Encryption of data ensures that attackers cannot retrieve the information even after gaining access to a blockchain network. In addition, public-private key cryptography ensures that web3 solutions are safeguarded by cryptographic algorithms. The public-private key cryptography ensures protection for user information and confidentiality of data by enabling authorization and authentication of users on the network.
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Integrity
Integrity emphasizes safeguards against unauthorized modification of information or theft or compromising authenticity of information. The interplay between blockchain and web3 security can ensure integrity through cryptographic hashing, audit trails, and smart contracts.
Cryptographic hashing could create a formidable barrier for hackers who try to modify data on blockchains. It could ensure safeguards for truthfulness and integrity of the data in web3 systems. On top of it, transactions in blockchain networks are associated with digital signatures that also include timestamps for easier traceability.
Smart contracts might be one of the common points of attack for web3 systems, but they also offer inherent security improvements. For example, transactions run by smart contracts are traceable and irreversible. It plays a crucial role in ensuring decentralization that prevents a single point of failure.
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Availability
Another important aspect of information security in which you can find evidence of the role of blockchain in web3 security is availability. The decentralized ledger technology could facilitate data storage in a peer-to-peer network, which ensures that data would be available even if one node falls out. It could play a major role in ensuring safety against denial of service attacks, thereby reducing downtimes.
Role of Users in Leveraging Blockchain for Web3 Security
The security threats to the web3 ecosystem pose formidable challenges for growth of web3. Businesses and individual users could explore multiple advantages of web3, particularly with the democratization of data control and ownership. At the same time, people wonder about questions like “What is the role of blockchain?” for security. It is important to look back on the role of the user in utilizing the distributed ledger technology for ensuring security in web3. You should take the responsibility of safeguarding your assets in web3 by following some best practices such as the following.
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Protecting your Private Keys
Blockchain is the primary component for web3 security as it offers the advantage of cryptographic algorithms for protecting your assets. On the other hand, it is important to pay attention to security of your private keys. If you use a self-custodial wallet, you will have complete control over your assets.
However, wallets connected to the internet can pose security risks. Therefore, hardware wallets are a recommended alternative for protecting your assets. On top of it, you must also focus on protection for your recovery phrase, which is a unique collection of 12 to 24 words arranged in different types of combinations. It helps in recovery of your private keys in event of theft.
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Stay Away from Phishing Attempts and Hacks
You can understand the role of blockchain in web3 security when you trust its capabilities for encryption and security mechanisms. However, attackers could use phishing attempts and rug-pull scams to compromise your assets. You can ensure safeguards against such scams by learning about web3 security and the working of decentralized ledger technology. In addition, you must also learn about the latest updates and trends in the domain of web3 to find safeguards against emerging threats. For example, phishing attempts in web3 have been evolving with the rising levels of awareness for security.
New types of phishing attacks include fake airdrops, which come in emails that impersonate industry experts or celebrities. On the other hand, an in-depth understanding of blockchain technology could help you learn more about web3 projects in detail before investing in them. You should also familiarize yourself with the use of smart contract auditing to ensure better safeguards against security risks in web3.
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Final Words
The impact of blockchain in web3 security revolves around the inherent security traits of the decentralized ledger technology. It ensures that web3 solutions would not have a single point of failure and provides traceability of transactions. On top of it, blockchain provides the advantage of immutability that ensures barriers against security breaches. However, it is also important to reflect on the ways in which users rely on the distributed ledger technology for security in web3. Discover the significance of blockchain in empowering security for the web3 ecosystem and unravel new insights about web3 now.
*Disclaimer: The article should not be taken as, and is not intended to provide any investment advice. Claims made in this article do not constitute investment advice and should not be taken as such. 101 Blockchains shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this article. Do your own research!
