ABSTRACT
Blockchain technology was started to launch a new technological revolution to store digital transactions through the internet, verify authenticity and licensing, and provide the highest degree of security and encryption. This technology is built on top of a peer-to-peer fully distributed network, all maintained and verified by everyone (i.e., no existence of a single trusted authority). That is the essence of ingenuity in the invention. This technology is a radical solution to the problem of trust in the digital world. Starting with cryptocurrencies, blockchain implementation has been extended for possible use in many industries, such as voting, health records, digital copyright, real estate, the Internet of Things, and so on. Blockchain has the potential to change our lives for the better, just as the internet has for the past 20 years. Blockchain offers improved resilience against hacking, as well as encryption, scalability, auditing, and most important, transparency, which satisfies the CIA triad (confidentiality, integrity, and availability). It will serve as the pathway for innovations and inventions in the world of the internet. In this chapter, we review what the blockchain is, its popular types, how it might contribute to the cybersecurity world, and its likely future trends.
