Before reading this post, it’s probably a good idea to read about the definition of what blockchain is. Here is the link for my post that talks about this in-depth. Or you could look it up (either way is fine). If you already know what blockchain is and want to learn more, keep reading about what makes blockchain unhackable.
As we all learned, everyone who uses blockchain has a copy of it, making it shared. We also learned that to forge a ledger, you must alter one block of the blockchain and every block after that. That is an almost impossible task, but since we are going into hypotheticals, what if someone does that? What if someone changes a block and the blocks that are linked to it afterward? Well, there is a countermeasure for that method right here. Literally. Seriously just read the heading below.
P2P Networks
After reading this heading, you realize that this is the solution to the abovementioned problem. But what the hell is it, though?
Just read the next title.
What The Hell is P2P Networks?
P2P networks are just a fancy way of saying there is a copy of the blockchain on every computer (node). It’s the same in the definition, and the second paragraph of this article says the same thing. There is just a name for it. I know what you’re asking now: How do P2P networks increase security and prevent people who have forged this blockchain from successfully attacking it?
Yep…Just Read the Next Heading.
How do P2P networks increase security and prevent people who have forged this blockchain from successfully attacking it?
When people successfully hack a blockchain (changing a block and everything after), they can only do it on one computer(node). But as we all know, multiple computers have a copy of the blockchain. So when someone hacks the blockchain on one node(computer), that doesn’t mean that the person hacked the other nodes in the network.
Since other nodes are not hacked, they have the correct version of the blockchain. In the p2p network, each node constantly checks to ensure their copy of the blockchain is the same as the other nodes. This means that when the network detects the blockchain on the hacked node is different, the p2p network will recognize that node as the fraudulent one, and the correct version of the blockchain will replace that.
Not to mention that numerous algorithms help create blocks in the blockchain that people cannot even hack in the first place.
Does this mean that blockchain is truly unhackable?
Nope. Despite P2P and several other security measures (I will discuss these in other posts, you can also look them up), hackers will find ways to hack the system. It’s just like any piece of technology. It’s not perfect. Although blockchain is relatively new, and there is no way currently, we may have several openings to protect in the future.
There is innovation in the art of hacking and the art of protection, so we will see what the future holds for us.
