Digital notary solution for the maritime sector
The challenges of documentation in the maritime sector
The naval transportation industry faces unique challenges. The distribution and validation of paper documents can face delays and other mistakes due to the nature of the industry. Digitisation of the records makes the processes much more efficient and quicker. However, delicate matters need an infallible level of security against
- data manipulation,
- malware attacks
- and other cyber threats.
To ensure protection against data breaches, insider threats and cyber attacks, the security solutions must be free from a single point of failure that could eradicate it. The system would also have to ensure data manipulation is easily detected.
Despite being the backbone of global trade, the maritime industry needs to catch up to digitisation compared to other sectors. Nevertheless, several facets of the naval area have been modernised, and blockchain has found its place among the used solutions.
Therefore, the proposed solution must address multiple issues and stay a few steps ahead of possible cyber threats, unauthorised access, or undetectable data manipulation. Fortunately, we found one that works from various angles and helps to ensure proper authentication.
Solution
Rexs.io is an authentication and notarisation solution that bases its work on blockchain. Using blockchain – a modern distributed ledger – allows different parties to record information in a permanent, immutable, tamper-proof, and transparent manner. The data is stored on a decentralised ledger and in a distributed system without the aid of a central authority.
The integrity of the blockchain is secured by trustless consensus algorithms and guarded by cryptography, making it impossible to append or modify historical data illegally. Therefore, blockchain is a decentralised, tamper-proof, immutable, and constantly growing list of cryptographically linked records called blocks.
Digitising the documentation process will help save money, paper and human resources globally. Digitisation in the maritime sector has faced some hindrances on account of security and possible threat concerns. Our solution addresses those issues and reduces worries and vulnerabilities.
Rexs.io – a digital notary
solution that revolutionises
security solutions
We developed the Rexs.io framework to help ensure the security of document flow and accelerate digitisation. It can be integrated into the existing IT infrastructures, which makes it easily adaptable across various industries, as it doesn’t require a complete tech stack overhaul. It registers the creation of a specific data stream to ensure that it wasn’t manipulated or altered by suspicious activity or a malicious actor.
Rexs.io has two key components: the Secretary and the Notary. The secretary is a proxy agent designed to emulate the target’s endpoint. The secretary uses the same API and technology as the original target, allowing to seamlessly plug into an existing data pipeline on the data consumer’s side. This proxy calculates the hash of the proxied data and seamlessly transfers the unmodified data to the original target endpoint.
The generated hash of the product is, at the same time, then transferred to a queue, where the notary component later handles it. The latter communicates directly with the blockchain infrastructure. It gets the information from the secretary containing the file hash and handles storing it on the blockchain.
Suppose the original data piece is later manipulated. In that case, its hash – or a digital fingerprint – will inevitably change, resulting in a new hash for this data, unknown to the blockchain, proving that it has been modified and is different from the original.
Since blockchain is a tamperproof solution, once the original fingerprint is stored, it can’t be deleted or modified afterwards.
Critical takeaways
Significant reduction of unnecessary costs
Blockchain adoption rate is closely related to its understanding by the end-uses
It is essential to lower the entry barrier for non-blockchain savvy end-users and organisations
To boost adoption, applications should be capable of seamless integration with the existing IT infrastructure
It is essential to raise awareness among maritime companies and stakeholders that it is possible to reap benefits from blockchain solutions such as Rexs.io without having the advanced technical know-how of blockchain/DLT