How Scroll is developing data security solutions on blockchain

When it comes to trends in tech, data security is considered a hot new space. While autonomous and robotics get a lot of hype, such technology is rife with challenges. From regulations to infrastructure to the sheer cost of creating and testing the hardware, billions of dollars are being invested in the space with little to show for it—at least in the short term. Meanwhile, as all these new data applications are in play, we’re still largely centralized in the cloud and remain surprisingly open to cyber hack attacks. That’s where decentralized enterprise blockchain applications are becoming a real thing in the venture capital world. 

We’re also increasingly at risk simply because of the advancement of technology. Everything’s connected. There are more connected devices, including IoT devices. There are multiple entry points from phishing, to spam, to user passwords, to installing malware, to divulging confidential information to third-party vendors.

Speaking at the ATA’s NAFC earlier this summer, Randy Goggan, co-founder and executive VP of ThreatAdvice, said, “There’s a well-known saying: ‘There are only two types of companies: those who have been hacked, and those that will be.’” Goggan added: “Really, to me, it’s ‘and those who don’t know they’ve been hacked.'”

“This is organized crime. It’s sophisticated, and they’re after you. So, get prepared,” he said. “It takes an average of 206 days to detect a breach. Most companies we see today pay the ransom. It may not be a lot. It may be like three bitcoins, but when it comes down to it, CEOs want their data back. They usually pay.”

In light of such transportation industry concerns, ATA Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) and Transportation Security Council (TSC) has developed the Fleet CyWatch supported program. The program assists fleet members in reporting information about trucking-related internet crimes and cyber-attacks, and shares information to fleets about cyber threats that may impact their operations. The new program coordinates with private and federal efforts to provide motor carriers with information and recommendations in the areas of cybersecurity awareness, prevention, and mitigation methods. The program connects industry, federal enforcement, and associations and trade groups specialized in cybersecurity to improve U.S. road transport safety.

Major solutions, however, linger on the fringes with the evolution of blockchain technology. Still in its infancy, blockchain is increasingly being adopted by companies seeking data security solutions.

One such company that incorporated in October of 2017, and just completed a small seed round, is the Scroll Network. Even while making plans for a Series A they’re focused on developing client engagement and revenue. From the beginning, they’ve been interested in data security and preventing data breaches.

Their first product will be SlideDrive. “We encrypt communication between file transfer. If you saved your file that means you care about your file, and you can pull from any location or device and do so safely and easily,” Arielle Telesmanic, director of emerging technologies at Scroll, tells FreightWaves by phone.

“We’re excited about getting our first product out in the coming months. It’s outrageously exciting. We’re getting nothing but positive feedback. People are loving a closed network and protecting their information. We just want to provide a decentralized network for everyone while also providing data security,” she adds. 

One of Scroll’s recent announcements involves their joining the The Linux Foundation and Hyperledger. The fundamental missions of both Hyperledger and the Scroll Network closely align, and the team is excited to be taking the next step in their technological development to better grow their software.

Scroll wants to take Blockchain in a completely different direction from their predecessor, and they want the world to be able to utilize blockchain in the most efficient way as soon as possible. “We believe that this cooperation with Hyperledger will be a large step forward in creating new, innovative frameworks for Scroll as we continue to build,” they write on their company blog.

“The hyperledger network is still an infant technology,” says Telesmanic. “And while they’ve done a great job building what’s possible, we’re building on top. The ordering network that fabric uses is in a specific order. We’re interested in this specifically. When we’re designing our consensus model, we wanted something that was secure and scalable,” she says.

“It’s a peer-to-verified peer consensus model,” adds Khashab Khashab, Scroll’s chief revenue officer.

“It’s something that’s hard to crack,” says Telesmanic. “You’re never going to get the 51%. It’s a great format to work on because of their [Hyperledger’s] ordering service. It’s about how we route the transaction priority based on deadlines and PO.” 

“Hyperledger has many different libraries. There are lots of frameworks for adopting. There’s a lot of people using it as a playground right now,” explains Telesmanic. “We’re focused on storage. We’re working with them to make sure that they can handle our storage needs while still maintaining the security.”  

Right now, Scroll is working with a supply chain customer in additive manufacturing so that they can develop smart contracts to report on chain. Essentially, the machine code constantly checks the code. The system simply makes sure that the code is always the same. So the company doesn’t have to worry about someone getting in to the vulnerabilities. The machine won’t run if there’s a change made.

Right now, the Scroll team’s focus is on risk management, and they start with smaller projects. Their primary goal is to develop a fully integrated data management system, but first they’re working on the smaller learning curves to get things in place. Both inter and intra operations.

Scroll is set to demo their forthcoming product at the MarketWaves18 event in Grapevine, Texas this November 12.