Open Access

ARTICLE

A Deletable and Modifiable Blockchain Scheme Based on Record Verification Trees and the Multisignature Mechanism

Daojun Han^1,2,3, Jinyu Chen^3,4, Lei Zhang^1,2,3,*, Yatian Shen^1,2,3, Yihua Gao^3,5, Xueheng Wang^3,6

1 Henan Key Laboratory of Big Data Analysis and Processing, Henan University, Kaifeng, 47500, China
2 Institute of Data and Knowledge Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng, 47500, China
3 School of Computer and Information Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng, 47500, China
4 Department of Network and Finance, Agricultural Bank of China Limited Xuchang Branch, Xuchang, 461000, China
5 School of Software, Pingdingshan University, Pingdingshan, 467000, China
6 Department of Network and Finance, Agricultural Bank of China Limited Nanyang Branch, Nanyang, 473000, China

* Corresponding Author: Lei Zhang. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Blockchain Security)

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2021, 128(1), 223-245. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmes.2021.016000

Received 30 January 2021; Accepted 02 April 2021; Issue published 28 June 2021

Abstract

As one of the most valuable technologies, blockchains have received extensive attention from researchers and industry circles and are widely applied in various scenarios. However, data on a blockchain cannot be deleted. As a result, it is impossible to clean invalid and sensitive data and correct erroneous data. This, to a certain extent, hinders the application of blockchains in supply chains and Internet of Things. To address this problem, this study presents a deletable and modifiable blockchain scheme (DMBlockChain) based on record verification trees (RVTrees) and the multisignature scheme. (1) In this scheme, an RVTree structure is designed and added to the block structure. The RVTree can not only ensure that a record is true and valid but, owing to its unique binary structure, also verify whether modification and deletion requests are valid. (2) In DMBlockChain, the multisignature mechanism is also introduced. This mechanism requires the stakeholders’ signatures for each modification or deletion request and thus ensures that a record will not be modified arbitrarily. A user’s request is deemed valid only if it is dually verified by the RVTree and the multisignature mechanism. The analysis finds that DMBlockChain can provide a secure and valid means for modifying and deleting records in a block while ensuring the integrity of the block and that DMBlockChain can effectively save space in some scenarios that require frequent records modification.

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Citations