Taekion Leverages Hedera’s Public Consensus For Safe, Secure On-Chain File Storage 

Private Beta Launch of TFS Lite™ Provides Immutable Data Storage, and Peace Of Mind

Taekion’s TFS LIte is the first platform to allow entire files and computer file systems to be stored on the blockchain making these files encrypted, immutable, and tamper-proof for the entire life-cycle of the data, and is launching a private beta on Hedera mainnet.

The company will utilize Hedera’s Consensus Service (HCS) to help achieve its mission to become the secure Dropbox for critical data with TFS Lite™ – and eventually for any data – because when it comes to protecting information, the stakes couldn’t be higher. 

Currently, the average cost of a data breach in the US is $9.4 Million and it’s estimated the big data market will be worth $229.4 Billion by 2025.

The risks posed by vulnerable data security are serious enough that the FBI Director has stated that defending against ransomware attacks is comparable to the challenge of combating global terrorism. 

And current approaches (cloud / distributed storage / blockchain) are subject to data breaches, do not provide complete file immutability, availability guarantees, or end-to-end encryption of the entire file. 

That’s where Taekion comes into play. 

Introducing TFS Lite ™ the easiest way to upload files one at a time to make them immutable on a real blockchain (Hyperledger Sawtooth) and confirmed by a public consensus (Hedera).  All with the ease of use of drag and drop uploads with one click download and a permanent URL.  

Funded by the United States DOE, DOD, and NSF to protect mission critical data, Taekion solves problems with existing data storage solutions by using proprietary, patent pending technology to enable any arbitrary file size to be stored rapidly on the blockchain with the knowledge that the public HCS is confirming every block.

This means users benefit from a fast, fair, and secure aBFT consensus and get the peace of mind of knowing their files, once confirmed, are stored on an immutable, distributed ledger.

‍PEER REVIEWED TECH BUILT BY EXPERTS

The Taekion network was purpose built to protect critical data using blockchain/DLT technology and was peer reviewed nationally by major corporations, academic institutions, and scientists in the U.S. The network was even tested with the United States Air Force to protect mission critical Air Force test range data.

The Taekion team has deep experience in blockchain and distributed ledger technology R&D as well as Cryptography, consensus algorithms, and cybersecurity.

HOW IT WORKS 

File data is transformed into blockchain transactions using the Hybrid Public/Permissioned TFS Lite system which structures and links the the data on-chain in a way that enables files of arbitrary type and size to be stored indefinitely in a way that provides for full verification of provenance. The use of the Hedera Consensus Service (HCS) provides assurances of the file integrity, while the TFS Lite permissioned blockchain assures immutability and privacy of files stored on the system.

The entire permissioned technology stack is patent pending with future optimizations to provide for scalability and data replication combining the data integrity attributes of blockchain/DLTs with the scalability and flexibility of multi-tier distributed storage systems. 

• TFS Ultra-Fast Data Engine: Protects data at wire speed using the TFS Lite immutable, tamper-resistant blockchain.
  
  
• aBFT Consensus Integration: As part creating TFS Lite, Taekion has integrated with the Hedera Hashgraph Consensus Service (HCS) for a fast, fair aBFT PUBLIC consensus The public HCS allows file provenance to be verified publicly without affecting the privacy, integrity or immutability of the stored file.

• Full Distributed Blockchain Storage: Using the Open Source Sawtooth Blockchain from Hyperledger, the transactions representing the files are verified by the Hedera Consensus Service and stored on the Taekion blockchain that puts files on its geographically distributed nodes. At the core of TFS Lite lies a permissioned blockchain, which restricts access to authorized nodes and ensures data confidentiality. This permissioned blockchain provides a controlled environment for file storage, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.

• Permissioned Blockchain: By using a permissioned blockchain, TFS Lite guarantees that only approved nodes can participate in the storage and retrieval processes. This decentralized approach enhances security, as each participating node maintains a copy of the blockchain, eliminating single points of failure and providing redundancy.

• Public Verification: Having the file publicly verified, but stored on validated permissioned blockchain nodes ensures that user files are not stored on centralized storage and later verified by comparing a computerized hash, or sharded and stored on unverified dispersed nodes that may or may not be operational or hosted by bad actors.

• Data Immutability and Durability: The integrated Taekion TFS Lite solution provides near-complete data durability. All data writes are immediately captured and committed to a full blockchain “as soon as possible” with real-time feedback on the current state. Data changes are cryptographically signed with the ability to provide mathematical proof of data provenance as well as a full unalterable history of changes to file and backups of data to multiple locations automatically. There is no need for a separate datastore for files that are compared against a hash for verification (the scheme that other systems use).

• Content-Based Addressing Support: TFS Lite abandons the traditional model of location-based addressing (where data is found by where it's stored) and introduces content-based addressing (where data is found by what it is). Each file and all of the blocks within it are given a unique fingerprint called a cryptographic hash. That hash can retrieve the file from wherever it is stored.  WIth TFS lite you can also name the blockchain stored file as you normally do today and that name will reference the hash and find the file. With TFS Lite you also have the  ability to reference a Link (URL) to save in a browser or share with other parties who you wish to grant access to that file.  

• Future Improvements: Other future optimizations leverage our Rotating Packet Services patent to enable tamper-proof networking communications.

USER EXPERIENCE BENEFITS OF STORING DATA ON TAEKION
In addition to one-click storage and access to your data using a Google Chrome extension, Taekion offers the following UX benefits:

• File Access Personalized : Access files on the system, via the Taekion TFS Lite Web app, a fixed URL that always points to the file (with the correct permissions of course) or via many application integrations through Taekion’s available API & SDK.

• Arbitrary File Size: Unlike other blockchain-based systems, a file can be any arbitrary size and is verified by the Hedera Consensus Service blockchain block by blockchain block as it is stored on the chain.  Retrieving the file assembles these blocks rapidly and validates the entire file seamlessly to the user

• Privilege Control: No privileged operations can be performed against a file without possession of an authorized private key (this is directly analogous to control of a cryptocurrency wallet).

• User UPDATE of a File: Even though the file is stored on a blockchain with multiple nodes, a file can be updated with a full audit trail of changes.
  
  
• User APPEND of a File: Files can be created in an append-only mode, with new data added over time. Snapshots can be taken to refer to the full content as it was at a particular moment, and snapshots are content-addressable.

• User DELETE of a File: Even though the file is stored on a blockchain with multiple nodes, a file can be made deletable at creation, and deleted with a single command.  The deletion destroys the hash of the file on each of the nodes and the data blocks are pruned off for full deletion.

‍Full Data on Chain: Unlike other blockchain-based systems, the full file is stored, visible, and ready for regular system operation while protecting the entire dataset from manipulation. There is no need for a separate datastore for files that are compared against a hash for verification.