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TrustShare ๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ How Blockchain, Encryption, and Smart Contracts Join Forces to Protect Us All

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A Deep Dive Into TrustShare ๐Ÿ”’ A Game-Changing Framework for Sharing Cyber Threat Intelligence Across Organizations with Privacy, Trust, and Speed.

Published July 1, 2025 By EngiSphere Research Editors
Exchanging Data Through A Blockchain Network ยฉ AI Illustration
Exchanging Data Through A Blockchain Network ยฉ AI Illustration

The Main Idea

TrustShare is a blockchain-based framework that enables secure, privacy-preserving, and regulation-compliant cyber threat intelligence sharing across organizations using fine-grained encryption, decentralized storage, and trust-aware smart contracts.


The R&D

๐Ÿง  Why Sharing Threat Intelligence Matters

In todayโ€™s digital age, cyber threats are evolving faster than ever ๐Ÿ•ต๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ. From ransomware attacks to zero-day exploits, no organization is safe โ€” and trying to fight cybercrime alone is like using a spoon to put out a wildfire ๐Ÿ”ฅ.

Thatโ€™s where Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) comes in. CTI is all about sharing knowledge between companies, sectors, and even countries to detect and respond to threats faster and more accurately. Think of it as teamwork for the digital world ๐Ÿค.

But hereโ€™s the catch โ€” sharing sensitive data across organizational borders comes with serious privacy, trust, and security concerns. Who can see what? What if someone alters the data? How do we know who to trust?

Enter: TrustShare โ€” a powerful blockchain-based framework that answers these questions and builds a safe, decentralized way to share threat intelligence.

๐Ÿ” The Big Problem: Trust Issues in Threat Sharing

Most current CTI platforms are centralized, meaning one entity controls the data flow. This creates several issues:

โš–๏ธ Lack of trust โ€” Organizations donโ€™t want to share with a central authority.
๐Ÿ”“ Security risks โ€” Centralized systems can be hacked or go down.
๐Ÿ” Privacy concerns โ€” Sensitive data might be exposed.
๐Ÿงพ Compliance struggles โ€” GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) requires strict rules like the "Right to be Forgotten."

TrustShare is designed to overcome all of these hurdles by decentralizing the system using blockchain, enforcing rules via smart contracts, and controlling access with advanced encryption.

๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Meet TrustShare: The Technology Stack That Powers It All

TrustShare combines several cutting-edge technologies into one smooth, secure system:

๐Ÿงฑ 1. Hyperledger Fabric

A permissioned blockchain โ€” unlike Bitcoin, itโ€™s private and organizations must verify identities. It supports smart contracts (called โ€œchaincodeโ€) and fine-grained control.

๐Ÿ“ฆ 2. InterPlanetary File System (IPFS)

This is where encrypted data is stored off-chain. IPFS keeps the blockchain light and efficient while ensuring that files are tamper-proof and always accessible ๐Ÿ”๐ŸŒ.

๐Ÿ“œ 3. CP-ABE (Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-Based Encryption)

This sounds complex, but here's the idea: it encrypts data in such a way that only users with specific attributes (like โ€œHealthcare Analystโ€ or โ€œTrusted Partner - UKโ€) can decrypt it ๐Ÿ”“๐ŸŽฏ.

๐Ÿ” 4. STIX and TAXII

These are industry standards for structuring (STIX) and exchanging (TAXII) threat data. TrustShare is fully compatible, making it easy to plug into existing systems ๐Ÿงฉ.

๐Ÿ“‹ 5. GDPR Compliance

TrustShare supports revocable access and the Right to be Forgotten, making it suitable for regulated industries like finance, healthcare, and government ๐Ÿ’ผ.

โš™๏ธ How It Works: The 15-Step Flow in Simple Terms

Letโ€™s walk through how TrustShare enables two organizations to securely share threat intelligence:

  1. ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ’ป Gather Data from logs, threat feeds, and reports.
  2. ๐Ÿ“Š Standardize the Info using MITRE ATT&CK (a threat modeling tool).
  3. ๐Ÿงพ Structure it as JSON (computer-readable file).
  4. ๐Ÿ” Encrypt it with CP-ABE to define who can access.
  5. ๐ŸŒ Upload to IPFS, getting a unique Content ID (CID).
  6. ๐Ÿ“Ž Send CID via Blockchain, along with the senderโ€™s verified ID.
  7. ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Smart Contract Validates the Sender.
  8. ๐Ÿ“œ Record CID on the Blockchain, immutably.
  9. ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ Trusted Partner Requests Access.
  10. โœ”๏ธ Smart Contract Checks Authorization.
  11. ๐Ÿ“ฌ Retrieve CID from blockchain.
  12. ๐Ÿ“ Download File from IPFS using CID.
  13. ๐Ÿ”“ Decrypt it (only if they match the access attributes).
  14. ๐Ÿ” Analyze the Threat Data.
  15. ๐Ÿ“ˆ Visualize Using MITRE ATT&CK Navigator.

All these steps happen with high automation, security, and privacy โœจ.

๐Ÿ” Why This Is a Game Changer

Hereโ€™s what makes TrustShare different:

โœ… Fine-Grained Access Control

Organizations can control who sees what, and even define time, location, or role-based conditions for access โณ๐ŸŒ.

๐Ÿง  Smart Trust Scoring

TrustShare uses a hybrid trust model:

  • Direct Trust: Based on your interaction history.
  • Indirect Trust: Based on what others say about you.

The system calculates a score (e.g., 0.705) to decide if youโ€™re trustworthy enough to access data.

๐Ÿงพ Regulatory Compliance

Features like revocation, audit logs, and data minimization are built-in โ€” perfect for industries under GDPR ๐Ÿง‘โ€โš–๏ธ.

๐Ÿ“ˆ Scalable and Fast
  • Handles up to 500 Transactions Per Second (TPS)
  • Latency as low as 75 ms
  • Runs efficiently using Docker and Kubernetes
๐Ÿ” Audit-Ready by Design

Every transaction is traceable and tamper-proof โ€” essential for forensic analysis ๐Ÿ•ต๏ธโ€โ™€๏ธ.

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Security Features Built into Every Layer
ThreatTrustShare Solution
๐Ÿง› Sybil AttacksIdentity validation via certificates
๐Ÿ’ฃ Chaincode PoisoningSmart contract version control
๐Ÿ•ต๏ธ Identity SpoofingTLS mutual authentication
โฑ๏ธ Replay AttacksTimestamps + Nonces
๐Ÿฆน Insider ThreatsImmutable audit trails + CP-ABE
๐Ÿ“‰ Anomalous BehaviorFuture SIEM integration

This layered security approach makes TrustShare resilient even under advanced threat models.

๐Ÿ”ญ Whatโ€™s Next for TrustShare?

The team behind TrustShare has laid out an exciting roadmap to make the system even better:

โšก Live Data Feeds for real-time threat detection
๐Ÿง  AI-powered policy management
๐Ÿ” Automatic certificate renewals
๐Ÿงช Threat simulation modules
๐Ÿ” Post-Quantum Encryption (yes, itโ€™s that future-proof!)

๐Ÿ’ฌ Final Thoughts: Why Engineers and Cyber Defenders Should Care

TrustShare isnโ€™t just another cybersecurity buzzword โ€” itโ€™s a serious leap forward for how we collaborate to fight cybercrime. By combining blockchainโ€™s trustless security, CP-ABEโ€™s surgical access control, and standards like STIX and TAXII, TrustShare is a blueprint for secure, compliant, and scalable threat intelligence sharing ๐Ÿ”๐Ÿ”—.

This framework isnโ€™t theoretical. Itโ€™s real, itโ€™s tested, and itโ€™s ready to protect sectors that need airtight security โ€” from hospitals to banks to national defense ๐Ÿ›๏ธ.

Beyond merely safeguarding data, the objective is to ensure the future.


Concepts to Know

๐Ÿง  Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) - Information about cyber threats (like malware or hackers) that helps organizations prevent or respond to attacks faster. Sharing CTI helps everyone stay ahead of cybercriminals.

๐Ÿ” Blockchain - A digital ledger (like a super-secure notebook) that records transactions across many computers so the record canโ€™t be changed. It ensures transparency, trust, and tamper-proof data sharing. - More about this concept in the article "Blockchain Showdown in Green Supply Chains ๐Ÿ”— Friend or Foe?".

๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Hyperledger Fabric - A type of private blockchain platform built for businesses to securely exchange data with permissioned access. It powers TrustShareโ€™s secure and fast data sharing network.

๐Ÿงพ Smart Contract - Computer code on a blockchain that runs automatically when conditions are met โ€” like a digital vending machine. They enforce rules without needing a middleman. - More about this concept in the article "Smartify: The AI-Powered Guardian for Securing Smart Contracts ๐Ÿ“œ ๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ".

๐Ÿ” Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-Based Encryption (CP-ABE) - A fancy type of encryption that lets data owners decide who can read their data based on roles or traits (like "Finance Team"). It gives full control over who can access sensitive info.

๐Ÿ“ฆ IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) - A decentralized way to store and share files across the internet using unique file addresses. It keeps threat data available and safe outside the blockchain. - More about this concept in the article "๐Ÿš€ DRLaaS: Democratizing Deep Reinforcement Learning with Blockchain Magic".

๐Ÿงฌ STIX (Structured Threat Information eXpression) - A standard format for describing cyber threats so computers and teams can understand and share it easily. It makes threat data sharable and machine-readable.

๐Ÿ”„ TAXII (Trusted Automated Exchange of Intelligence Information) - A secure protocol that allows threat data (in STIX format) to be shared between organizations. Itโ€™s the highway that moves threat intelligence safely between trusted partners.

โš–๏ธ GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) - A European law that protects peopleโ€™s personal data and privacy. TrustShare is built to respect these rules, especially the right to delete data.

๐Ÿงฎ Trust Score (Direct + Indirect) - A rating system that calculates how trustworthy a participant is based on past behavior and community feedback. It helps decide who gets access to shared data.


Source: Ali, H.; Buchanan, W.J.; Ahmad, J.; Abubakar, M.; Khan, M.S.; Wadhaj, I. TrustShare: Secure and Trusted Blockchain Framework for Threat Intelligence Sharing. Future Internet 2025, 17, 289. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi17070289

From: Edinburgh Napier University; Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University.

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