Cloud Data Security Techniques for Payment Card Systems: A Review of Cryptographic and Blockchain-Based Approaches (Published)
With the exponential growth of payment card transactions, the global shift from cash to digital payments has intensified, and the Payment Card Industry (PCI) has embraced cloud computing for its scalability and efficiency. Traditional cloud storage systems, however, rely on trusted third-party providers, which can result in centralized storage, high costs, and trust concerns. This review examines a wide range of literature on cloud computing, cloud security and trust, e-commerce risk, and cryptographic techniques relevant to the protection of payment card data stored and shared in the cloud. It surveys the rise of cloud computing and its service and deployment models, the security issues and attack vectors that affect cloud-based systems, the role of phishing in payment card fraud, and the influence of perceived risk on consumers’ online purchase intention and trust. It further reviews cryptographic techniques used to secure cloud data, including symmetric and public-key encryption, searchable encryption, homomorphic encryption, and attribute-based cryptography (encryption, signatures, and signcryption), before examining blockchain technology as a decentralizing mechanism for cloud trust. A comparative analysis of existing cloud data security protocols is presented, showing that Attribute-Based Signcryption (ABSC) offers the most comprehensive coverage of confidentiality, integrity, availability, authenticity, and access control relative to Attribute-Based Encryption (ABE) and Attribute-Based Signatures (ABS) used independently. The review concludes that blockchain-integrated attribute-based signcryption is a promising direction for decentralizing trust in cloud-stored payment card data, but that such constructions require rigorous, formally verified security analysis before deployment, since at least one prominent scheme has been shown to be insecure.
Keywords: Blockchain, Cloud Computing, Cryptography, attribute-based signcryption, payment card security, perceived risk; phishing
Development of a Blockchain-Based E-Commerce Platform Using Next.Js and Solana Blockchain Network (Published)
E-commerce has transformed global trade by increasing accessibility and convenience, but challenges such as fraud, data breaches, and high intermediary costs still affect trust and efficiency. In Nigeria, these issues are intensified by logistical barriers and low consumer confidence. This study developed a blockchain-based e-commerce platform using the Solana blockchain to enhance transparency, security, and cost efficiency. The system was built with Next.js and integrated with Solana for transaction execution, guided by a prototyping SDLC model. Core features included user authentication, product listings, secure payments, and merchant dashboards. Performance testing on Solana Playground showed an average throughput of 3.2 TPS and transaction confirmation times under one second, with costs below 0.015 SOL per transaction. The results demonstrate Solana’s capability for scalable, low-latency digital commerce, providing empirical evidence of blockchain’s potential for secure, real-time e-commerce operations in emerging markets like Nigeria.
Keywords: Blockchain, E-Commerce, scalability, solana, transparency
Blockchain-Integrated BI for Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Optimization (Published)
The pharma supply chain has various issues, including counterfeiting, visibility, and product authenticity in the market. Some of the issues threatening the safety of the patients and the efficacy of the industry include those named above. Such issues are overcome by new technologies like Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence (AI) that are being offered. Blockchain enhances transparency since it is a distributed ledger technology that traces the drug through the supply chain and minimizes the risk of counterfeit drugs. In contrast, there is AI that extends beyond data acquisition and analytics to forecast supply chain disruptions, inventory controls, and even drug shortages to improve decision-making and performance. This paper seeks to focus on the issues that are overcome by Blockchain when integrated with Business Intelligence (BI) systems, such as drug authenticity and counterfeiting issues. This highlights the emphasis that there is a need to consider technology integration when there is a need to make a change, security considerations, and the integration of AI to make the supply chain in the pharma industries more efficient and reliable.
Keywords: AI, Blockchain, counterfeit medication, drug authentication, pharmaceutical supply chain, supply chain efficiency
Specialty Lines in P&C Insurance: Technical Analysis and Market Outlook (Published)
The property and casualty insurance sector has undergone substantial evolution, with specialty lines emerging as vital components addressing intricate risk profiles beyond traditional coverage mechanisms. This technical article explores how specialty insurance segments provide tailored solutions through sophisticated underwriting methodologies, complex policy architecture, specialized claims management, and enhanced risk transfer mechanisms. The document explores key specialty segments including cyber liability, environmental liability, and marine insurance, highlighting their distinctive technical attributes and market dynamics. Distribution channels reveal the predominance of broker-mediated placement alongside meaningful contributions from Managing General Agents and direct placement options. The market exhibits accelerated growth trajectories driven by increasing risk complexity, regulatory proliferation, technological advancement, and globalization. Looking forward, specialty insurance continues to transform through AI-enhanced underwriting, parametric structure integration, blockchain-based administration, IoT-derived risk data, and advanced climate modeling – innovations that collectively reshape how complex risks are assessed, transferred, and managed across global markets.
Keywords: Blockchain, cyber liability, parametric insurance, risk transfer, underwriting innovation
A Smart Contract-based Blockchain Solution in IoT Networks (Published)
The emergence and growing use of advanced technologies has opened up new possibilities for addressing the security challenges of resource-constrained IoT net- works. As IoT devices exchange sensitive data, secure key management is essential for IoT network security, particularly during the key revocation phase. However, current IoT key management solutions require improvements due to the resource limitations of IoT devices. Despite these limitations, existing key revocation solutions still have several areas for improvement, including high communication overheads. Therefore, a decentralized and efficient solution is necessary to address these issues in IoT networks, with a focus on security. This paper proposes a new solution for key revocation based on Blockchain technology using smart contracts to minimize communication overhead and energy consumption in IoT networks. The paper presents a security and performance analysis to assess its correctness. The results indicate that our proposal outperforms other solutions by having a reduced communication overhead of 93.55%, 91.87%, and 99.75% compared to other solutions during the compromising, leaving, and draining cases, respectively. This demonstrates that our solution is efficient and suitable for IoT networks.
Keywords: Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), Security, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)., key revocation
Framework for Data Management in Public Service Delivery Applications in Sri Lanka Using Blockchain Technology (Published)
The research paper discusses about how data management issues found in the current Sri Lankan public service delivery systems namely, difficulties in data accessibility, data manipulation possibility, data loss and privacy preservation can be mitigated through the application of Blockchain technology. Three distinct public service delivery systems were analyzed in order to derive a common framework which can be used to design a Blockchain based solution for the public sector processes. Systems were redesigned using Blockchain technology and two prototypes were developed using two different existing platforms and qualitatively evaluated for the four criteria focused by the research. Based on the characteristics extracted from the selected systems, a Generic Guideline was designed comprising the six areas that need to be considered when selecting a Blockchain for Data Management in a Public Service Delivery application and five steps that should be followed in adopting a Blockchain for the specific needs of the government institution.
Keywords: Blockchain, Public Service Delivery Systems