Crypto Hash Algorithm-Based Blockchain Technology for Managing Decentralized Ledger Database in Oil and Gas Industry
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Article Crypto Hash Algorithm-Based Blockchain Technology for Managing Decentralized Ledger Database in Oil and Gas Industry Lukman Adewale Ajao 1,*, James Agajo 1, Emmanuel Adewale Adedokun 2 and Loveth Karngong 1 1 Department of Computer Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Minna 920001, Nigeria 2 Department of Computer Engineering, Ahamadu Bello University, Zaria 810241, Nigeria * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +234-70-3735-9128 Received: 16 June 2019; Accepted: 1 August 2019; Published: 8 August 2019 Abstract: This research work proposes a method for the securing and monitoring of petroleum product distribution records in a decentralized ledger database using blockchain technology. The aim of using this technique is to secure the transaction of distributed ledgers in a database and to protect records from tampering, fraudulent activity, and corruption by the chain participants. The blockchain technology approach offers an efficient security measure and novel advantages, such as in the transaction existence and distribution ledger management between the depot, transporter, and retailing filling station. Others advantages are transparency, immunity to fraud, insusceptibility to tampering, and maintaining record order. The technique adopted for this secure distributed ledger database is crypto hash algorithm-1 (SHA-1)-based public permissioned blockchain and telematics, while this telematics approach is an embedded system integrated into an in-vehicle model for remote tracking of geolocation (using Global Positioning System (GPS)), monitoring, and far-off data acquisition in a real-time. The scope of the data in the secure distributed ledger database (using blockchain) developed are identification (ID) of the tanker operator, Depot name, Source station ID, Destination station ID, Petroleum product volume, Transporter ID, and Geographic automobiles location. This system proved to be efficient, secure, and easy to maintain as it does not permit any individual for records tampering, but supports agreement of ~75% of participants in the chain to make changes. Keywords: blockchain; database; petroleum product; security; telematics 1. Introduction In the last decades, oil and gas (petroleum product) have been key sources of revenue, liveliness, and industries for the national economy and its development [1]. Nigeria is recognized as one of the highest ranked petroleum product exporting countries in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) eleven [2]. However, the distribution process of this product in Nigeria has been a great challenge over the years and generally caused fluctuation in the country’s economy. These challenges are fuel scarcity, oil and gas hijacking, inflation in price, and many others. The disruption in the supply of this inflammable resource in Nigeria has been a habitual problem as its distribution has a multitude of problems. Aminu et al. proposed petroleum products (oil and gas), aside from other occupation practices in the marketing supply chain, are generally an imperative source of energy globally, and represent a major part of the economies of most developed nations, including USA, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and so on [3]. One of the reasons for this product scarcity in the nation was due to the transaction’s susceptibility to corruption, fraud, and lack of transparency among the parties J 2019, 2, 300–325; doi:10.3390/j2030021 www.mdpi.com/journal/j J 2019, 2 301 J 2019, 2, x 2 of 26 involved in the supply chain and distribution process [4]. Fraud, corruption, and mismanagement inmismanagement the distribution in process the distribution is traced back process to the usualis traced application back to ofthe manual usual transaction,application centralizedof manual distributedtransaction, ledgers, centralized and pipelinedistributed network ledgers, distribution and pipeline vandalism network [5 distri]. bution vandalism [5]. AlthoughAlthough the the earlier earlier transaction transaction record record is known is know asn a pictographicas a pictographic tablet tablet (3200 BC)(3200 ledger, BC) ledger, a record a ofrecord transactions of transactions used for keepingused for information keeping informat by anyion business by any organization business organization in the earlier in century the earlier [6,7]. Thecentury later advanced[6,7]. The technology later advanced of keeping technology records in of worksheet keeping isrecords known asin computerizedworksheet is spreadsheet. known as Thiscomputerized digitized ledger spreadsheet. was designed This digitized as a centralized ledger wa ledgers designed that exposes as a centralized its vulnerability ledger to that tampering exposes andits vulnerability susceptibility to to tampering corruption and and susceptibility fraud. Others to issues corruption are central and controlfraud. andOthers mishandling, issues are whichcentral ledcontrol to the and emergence mishandling, of the which crypto-blockchain led to the emergenc technologye of the proposed crypto-blockchain in this research technology for decentralized proposed ledgerin this systemresearch management. for decentralized ledger system management. BlockchainBlockchain isis thethe technologytechnology behindbehind bitcoinbitcoin [[8]8] andand hashas advancedadvanced revolutionaryrevolutionary servicesservices withwith thethe ability ability toto influenceinfluence financialfinancial transactionstransactions andand renderrender advantagesadvantages ofof transparency,transparency, accurateaccurate tracing,tracing, permanentpermanent ledger, ledger, cost cost reduction, reduction, and and record record management management [9 ].[9]. This This blockchain blockchain technology technology provides provides a solutiona solution to the to digitalthe digital confidence confidence of record-keeping of record-keeping and information and information management management with a timestamped, with a transparent,timestamped, and transparent, decentralized and distributed decentralized database distributed block database [10]. block [10]. BlockchainBlockchain isis aa networknetwork ofof databasesdatabases thatthat spreadspread acrossacross multiplemultiple entities,entities, whichwhich areare keptkept inin sequencesequence and and are are not not peculiar peculiar to ato single a single source source of control of control [11,12 ].[11,12]. It gives It access gives toaccess information to information update, butupdate, the historical but the historical data stored data cannotstored cannot be changed be changed or modified or modified without without a broad a broad agreement agreement from from the partakersthe partakers of the of network. the network. This means This means that an that administrator an administrator from a singlefrom a unit single of the unit distributed of the distributed network cannotnetwork be allowedcannot be to tamperallowed or to modify tamper the or stored modify data the held stored on a data blockchain held on without a blockchain agreement without from otheragreement participants from other in the participants network. Some in the of thenetwork. major advantagesSome of the of major blockchain advantages include of distributed, blockchain eincludefficiency, distributed, immutability, efficiency, security, immutability, transparency, security, and resilience transparency, [13]. and resilience [13]. TheThe blockchain blockchain technology technology has has been been widely widely adopted adopted as a security as a security countermeasure countermeasure against Internet against ofInternet Things of (IoT) Things and (IoT) software-defined and software-defined network ne (SDN)twork (SDN) securities securities challenges challenges and cyberattacks and cyberattacks [14]. Detection[14]. Detection of fraudulent of fraudulent rules is proposedrules is byproposed Ferra et by al. forFerra security et al. contest for security and as acontest countermeasure and as a againstcountermeasure man-in-the-middle against man-in-the-middle attack (MITMA) overattack the (MITMA) SDN using over a blockchain the SDN technologyusing a blockchain [15], as illustratedtechnology in [15], Figure as 1illustrated. A lightweight in Figure cryptography 1. A lightweight technique cryptography with Open-Flow technique rules with based Open-Flow on the software-definedrules based on the networks software-defined and leveraged networks on blockchain and leveraged technology on blockchain is utilized technology to achieve is utilized accurate to detectionachieve accurate of fraudulent detection attempts of fraudulent in the attempts system. in The theresult system. of The the result BLOOSTER of the BLOOSTER system proposed system demonstratesproposed demonstrates adequate adequate detection detection of tampering of tamp andering fraudulent and fraudulent within within short detectionshort detection time ratetime ofrate 100%. of 100%. The The blockchain blockchain technology technology demonstrates demonstrates the the possibility possibility and and improvement improvement (including(including immutability,immutability, security, security, and and transparency) transparency) over over the the traditional traditional centralized centralized ledger-based ledger-based database database as inas thein the banking banking industry, industry, national national population population data data management, management, election election voting vo systemting system management, management, and e-businessand e-business transaction. transaction. (a) (b) FigureFigure 1.1. ((aa)) ThreatThreat modelmodel inin