Draft NISTIR 8202 17
Blockchain Technology Overview 1820
21
Dylan Yaga 22
Peter Mell 23
Computer Security Division
24
Information Technology Laboratory
25
26
Nik Roby 27
G2, Inc.
28
Annapolis Junction, MD
29
30
Karen Scarfone 31
Scarfone Cybersecurity
32
Clifton, VA
33
34
35
36
37
38
January 2018 39
40
41
42
43
44
U.S. Department of Commerce 45
Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., Secretary
46
47
National Institute of Standards and Technology48
Walter Copan, NIST Director and Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology
49
National Institute of Standards and Technology Internal Report 8202 50
59 pages (January 2018) 51
Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order to describe an 52
experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or 53
endorsement by NIST, nor is it intended to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment are necessarily the best 54
available for the purpose. 55
There may be references in this publication to other publications currently under development by NIST in accordance 56
with its assigned statutory responsibilities. The information in this publication, including concepts and methodologies, 57
may be used by federal agencies even before the completion of such companion publications. Thus, until each 58
publication is completed, current requirements, guidelines, and procedures, where they exist, remain operative. For 59
planning and transition purposes, federal agencies may wish to closely follow the development of these new 60
publications by NIST. 61
Organizations are encouraged to review all draft publications during public comment periods and provide feedback to 62
NIST. Many NIST cybersecurity publications, other than the ones noted above, are available at 63
https://csrc.nist.gov/publications.64
65
66
67
68
69
Public comment period:
January 24, 2018
through
February 23, 2018
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Attn: Computer Security Division, Information Technology Laboratory
100 Bureau Drive (Mail Stop 8930) Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8930
Email: nistir8202-comments@nist.gov
All comments are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). 70
71
NISTIR 8202 (DRAFT)BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
ii
Reports on Computer Systems Technology 72
The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and 73
Technology (NIST) promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing technical 74
leadership for the Nation’s measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test 75
methods, reference data, proof of concept implementations, and technical analyses to advance 76
the development and productive use of information technology. ITL’s responsibilities include the 77
development of management, administrative, technical, and physical standards and guidelines for 78
the cost-effective security and privacy of other than national security-related information in 79
federal information systems. 80
81
Abstract 82
Blockchains are immutable digital ledger systems implemented in a distributed fashion (i.e., 83
without a central repository) and usually without a central authority. At its most basic level, they 84
enable a community of users to record transactions in a ledger public to that community such that 85
no transaction can be changed once published. This document provides a high-level technical 86
overview of blockchain technology. It discusses its application to electronic currency in depth, 87
but also shows its broader applications. The purpose is to help readers understand how 88
blockchains work, so that they can be appropriately and usefully applied to technology problems. 89
Additionally, this document explores some specific blockchain applications and some examples 90
of when a blockchain system should be considered for use.91
92
93
Keywords 94
blockchain; consensus model; cryptocurrency; cryptographic hash; distributed ledger; mining 95
96。