Cryptography in the Age of Blockchain A Comprehensive Guide

Chapter 1: Introduction: The Shortcomings of Centralised Systems. 1.1 Introduction. 1.2 centralised System Architecture. 1.3 Failure Points in centralised Systems. 1.4 The Emergence of Decentralised Solutions. 1.5 Blockchain Technology and Distributed Ledger. 1.6 Pursuing decentralisation. 1.7 The Interplay Between Decentralisation, Scalability, and Security. 1.8 Role of Cryptography in decentralisation. 1.9 Socio-Economic Impact of decentralisation. Chapter 2: Attack Surfaces in Blockchain. 2.1 Introduction. 2.2 Consensus Layer Attacks. 2.3 The Nothing-at-Stake Problem in Proof-of-Stake Systems. 2.4 Cryptographic Primitive Attacks. 2.5 Network-Layer Attacks: Sybil and Eclipse. 2.6 Smart Contract Level Attacks. 2.7 Wallet and Key Management Attacks. Chapter 3: Case Studies of Real-World Attacks. 3.1 Introduction. 3.2 Emerging Attack Vectors. Chapter 4: Fundamentals of Digital Signatures. 4.1 Introduction. 4.2 Significance of Digital Signatures. 4.3 Mechanism of Digital Signatures. 4.4 Digital Signatures in Blockchain Systems. 4.5 Properties of Signature Schemes in Blockchain. 4.6 Representative Signature Schemes in Blockchain. Chapter 5: Blockchain IoT Systems in Resource Constrained Environments. 5.1 Introduction. 5.2 Architecture and Components of the Internet of Things. 5.3 Blockchain Technology. 5.4 Blockchain-Based IoT. 5.5 Fog-Based Blockchain. 5.6 Challenges and Research Directions. 5.7 Simulation Tools for Blockchain-Based IoT and Fog Systems. 5.8 Conclusion. Chapter 6: Privacy Challenges and Cryptographic Solutions in Blockchain-Based IoT. 6.1 Introduction. 6.2 Key Characteristics of B-IoT. 6.3 Discussion. 6.4 Challenges in B-IoT Systems. 6.5 Motivation Behind Privacy Preservation in B-IoT Systems. 6.6 Privacy-Preserving Approaches in B-IoT Systems. Chapter 7: Advanced Digital Signature Schemes for Blockchain Systems. 7.1 Introduction. 7.2 Aggregate Signatures. 7.3 Group Signatures. 7.4 Ring Signatures. 7.5 Blind Signatures. 7.6 Proxy Signatures. 7.7 Comparative Analysis. 7.8 Conclusion. Chapter 8: Enterprise Signature Frameworks and Post Quantum. 8.1 ID-Based Linearly Homomorphic Signature Scheme. 8.2 Multi-Signature Schemes for Enterprise Blockchain Networks. 8.3 Lattice-Based Signature Scheme for Post-Quantum Blockchain. 8.4 Research Directions. Chapter 9: Consensus Mechanisms and Cryptographic Security. 9.1 Introduction. 9.2 Classical Consensus Foundations. 9.3 Proof-of-Work. 9.4 Proof-of-Stake (PoS). 9.5 Hybrid and Advanced Consensus Mechanisms. 9.6 Cryptographic Tools in Consensus. 9.7 Security Threats and Attack Vectors in Consensus. Chapter 10: Blockchain Security in the Post-Quantum Era. 10.1 Introduction. 10.2 Quantum Threat Model for Blockchains. 10.3 Post-Quantum Cryptographic Primitives. 10.4 Integrating PQC into Blockchain Components. 10.5 Migration Strategies and Architectures. 10.6 Case Studies and Experimental Frameworks. Bibliography.

Biography

Dr. Iraq Ahmad Reshi is an Assistant Professor and researcher in Computer Science and Engineering with a doctorate in CSE. His academic work focuses on blockchain systems, Internet of Things, cryptography, cyber physical systems, and secure smart infrastructures, with particular interest in healthcare and critical applications. With more than 10 publications and majority of them in Q1 or Q2 Journals. His work emphasizes practical system design, security assurance, and deployment oriented research rather than purely theoretical models. Dr. Iraq Reshi is the author and editor of few academic books published with international publishers. These books cover topics related to blockchain security, cryptography, smart systems, and emerging computing paradigms. He actively serves as a reviewer for several reputed Springer and Elsevier journals, contributing to the peer review process in areas such as cybersecurity, blockchain, IoT, and distributed systems. Through his research, editorial work, and academic service, Dr. Iraq Reshi continues to contribute to the advancement of secure, scalable, and dependable computing systems for real world applications.

Dr. Sahil Sholla is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipora. He earned his PhD in Engineering from the National Institute of Technology Srinagar with a CGPA of 9.3. His doctoral work focused on ethics-aware Internet of Things systems and computational approaches to embed ethical reasoning into smart technologies. His research covers Internet of Things, fog computing, AI ethics, and NLP. He has published extensively in reputed journals such as Cluster Computing, Peer-to-Peer Networking and Applications, and China Communications. His work addresses privacy, security, and ethical design in emerging technologies. He has also co-authored books on blockchain and IoT, including titles with CRC Press and Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Dr. Sholla has contributed to curriculum development by introducing courses on Computational Design of Ethics for both undergraduate and doctoral students. He actively supervises PhD scholars and has guided multiple research scholars to completion. He has delivered expert lectures and keynote talks on AI ethics, IoT, and emerging technologies at leading institutions.