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Frontiers of Engineering Management

ISSN 2095-7513

ISSN 2096-0255(Online)

CN 10-1205/N

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Front. Eng    2020, Vol. 7 Issue (4) : 564-577    https://doi.org/10.1007/s42524-020-0129-x
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Blockchain applied to the construction supply chain: A case study with threat model
Gjorgji SHEMOV, Borja GARCIA de SOTO(), Hoda ALKHZAIMI
Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
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Abstract

The construction industry has long faced the challenge of introducing collaborative systems among multiple stakeholders. This challenge creates a high level of rigidity in terms of processing shared information related to different processes, robust holistic regulations, payment actualizations, and resource utilization across different nodes. The need for a digital platform to cross-connect all stakeholders is necessary. A blockchain-based platform is a prime candidate to improve the industry in general and the construction supply chain (CSC) in particular. In this paper, a literature review is presented to establish the main challenges that CSC faces in terms of its effects on productivity and efficiency. In addition, the effect of applying blockchain platforms on a case study is presented and analyzed from performance and security level. The analysis aims to emphasize that blockchain, as presented in this paper, is a viable solution to the challenges in the CSC regardless of the risks associated with the security and robustness of the flow of information and data protection. Moreover, a threat analysis of applying a blockchain model on the CSC industry is introduced. This model indicates potential attacks and possible countermeasures to prevent the attacks. Future work is needed to expand, quantify, and optimize the threat model and conduct simulations considering proposed countermeasures for the different blockchain attacks outlined in this study.
Keywords blockchain taxonomy      construction supply chain      threat model analysis      security level analysis      cybersecurity      vulnerability      smart contract      cyber-attack     
Corresponding Author(s): Borja GARCIA de SOTO   
Just Accepted Date: 10 July 2020   Online First Date: 11 August 2020    Issue Date: 02 November 2020
 Cite this article:   
Gjorgji SHEMOV,Borja GARCIA de SOTO,Hoda ALKHZAIMI. Blockchain applied to the construction supply chain: A case study with threat model[J]. Front. Eng, 2020, 7(4): 564-577.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fem/EN/10.1007/s42524-020-0129-x
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fem/EN/Y2020/V7/I4/564
Fig.1  Overview of a typical CSC.
Attack typeAttack nameRoot causeSeverity
P2P architecture attacks (Double-spending attacks)Majority Attack (51% Attack)Transaction verification/Consensus mechanismHigh: System transactional disruption and denial of service (DoS) is possible
Race AttackTransaction verificationMedium: Transactional fraud will be possible if the system did not detect the duplicate transaction. Mitigations are possible
Vector76 AttackTransaction verificationLow: Can be blocked by a central verification system
Finney AttackTransaction verificationHigh: Can cause a DoS on the resources assigned. Mitigation is possible, but if not well implemented, it can be difficult to detect
Network attacksDomain Name System (DNS) AttackConsensus mechanismLow: Can be mitigated and detected
Eclipse AttacksRouting manipulationsHigh: Can cause significant disruption and DoS to the network. If botnets are utilized, it can be hard to control and mitigate
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) AttackExternal resourcesHigh: Several attacks can lead to this result, blocking network resources. If no proper mitigation and recovery plan exists, this would have a critical effect on the system
Smart contracts attacksVulnerabilities in blockchainProgram design flawsLow: Mitigation techniques are available. This attack is subject to vulnerabilities under evaluation
Vulnerabilities in contracts source codeProgram design flawsLow: Mitigation techniques and verification mechanisms are available. This attack is subject to vulnerabilities under evaluation
Tab.1  Blockchain vulnerability attacks
Fig.2  Blockchain framework for the early stage of the CSC.
Fig.3  Parties and transactions involved in the manufacturing of prefab concrete pads for a construction project.
Fig.4  Overview of the main steps to conduct a threat model.
Attack typeAttack nameRoot causeSeverity
P2P architecture attackRace AttackTransaction verificationHigh: It can cause DoS ultimately
Network attackDNS AttackConsensus mechanismMedium to Low: Especially if no central check and controls are applied
DDoS AttackExternal resourcesMedium to High: Depends on the vulnerability that is utilized. This can affect the whole network
Smart contracts attackVulnerabilities in contracts source codeProgram design flawsMedium to Low: It can be mitigated through introducing frequent application-level checks
Tab.2  Potential attacks
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