A Design for a Hyperledger Fabric Blockchain-Based Patch-Management System

Abstract

An enterprise patch-management system (PMS) typically supplies a single point of failure (SPOF) of centralization structure. However, a Blockchain system offers features of decentralization, transaction integrity, user certification, and a smart chaincode. This study proposes a Hyperledger Fabric Blockchain-based distributed patch-management system and verifies its technological feasibility through prototyping, so that all participating users can be protected from various threats. In particular, by adopting a private chain for patch file set management, it is designed as a Blockchain system that can enhance security, log management, latest status supervision and monitoring functions. In addition, it uses a Hyperledger Fabric that owns a practical Byzantine fault tolerant consensus algorithm, and implements the functions of upload patch file set, download patch file set, and audit patch file history, which are major features of PMS, as a smart contract (chaincode), and verified this operation. The distributed ledger structure of Blockchain-based PMS can be a solution for distributor and client authentication and forgery problems, SPOF problem, and distribution record reliability problem. It not only presents an alternative to dealing with central management server loads and failures, but it also provides a higher level of security and availability.