Blockchain Security from the Bottom Up: Securing and Preventing Attacks on Cryptocurrencies, Decentralized Applications, Nfts, and Smart Contracts

by Howard E Poston

The gold standard in up-to-date blockchain cybersecurity handbooks

In Blockchain Security from the Bottom Up: Securing and Preventing Attacks on Cryptocurrencies, Decentralized Applications, NFTs, and Smart Contracts, accomplished blockchain and cybersecurity consultant and educator Howard E. Poston delivers an authoritative exploration of blockchain and crypto cybersecurity. In the book, the author shows you exactly how cybersecurity should be baked into the blockchain at every layer of the technology's ecosystem. You'll discover how each layer can be attacked and learn how to prevent and respond to those attacks in an environment of constant technological change and evolution.

You'll also find:

Illuminating case studies of real-world attacks and defenses at various layers in the blockchain ecosystem Thorough introductions to blockchain technology, including its implementations in areas like crypto, NFTs, and smart contracts Comprehensive explorations of critical blockchain topics, including protocols, consensus, and proof of work
A can't-miss resource for blockchain and cybersecurity professionals seeking to stay on the cutting-edge of a rapidly evolving area, Blockchain Security from the Bottom Up will also earn a place on the bookshelves of software developers working with cryptocurrencies and other blockchain implementations.

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Published July 21, 2022

Reviews

[WiseB · Rating 4 out of 5]

As indicated by the title (... From the Bottom Up), it started the subject on blockchain security from basic level and above (but without drilling into the technical details), hence the presentations are in narrative form about the various strengths and weaknesses when transacting via blockchain network and platforms. With this in mind, someone with little knowledge of such can benefit from the author's approach of revealing different security considerations of blockchain ... including the fundamentals (cryptographic, data structure), protocols (consensus ... proof of work; proof of stake, block creation), infrastructure (nodes, networks), smart contracts, extensions, and design (type, privacy, legal & regulatory compliance).

For each of these considerations, it first covers the concept then follows with the kinds of attack and corresponding countermeasures and case studies, which I find is a very good approach to relate and understand.

[Woflmao · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book provides a broad but very superficial description of blockchain security issues. It is more of an executive summary than a textbook. To its credit, it is well-structured and written clearly. But there are only very few technical explanations that would satisfy a developer or a hacker security consultant. A handful of code snippets are included in chapter 5 to illustrate some vulnerabilities, but here the author either assumes the reader already has some familiarity with Solidity or he is not aiming to provide comprehensive explanations.

[Ivan Sincek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect, but you should have some understanding on how blockchain and smart contract works in general before jumping in the security; otherwise, you will have a hard time understanding this book and likely end up looking for additional references online.

[Jesse Snyder · Rating 3 out of 5]

The later half is better than the first, but it’s not amazing. It’s also quite repetitive. There are some good case studies though, and I learned a few things. It’s not very technical for a developer, but it’s probably technical to some.