Auditable Ledger Snapshot for Non-Repudiable Cross-Blockchain Communication

TL;DR

InterSnap tackles the non-repudiation gap in cross-blockchain transactions by coupling cross-chain transaction receipts with a snapshot based archival system. It records non-repudiable receipts for every cross-network transfer and stores encrypted, verifiable archives in IPFS accessible to auditors and interoperability relays, enabling dispute resolution. The approach introduces need based snapshot scheduling, distributed peer selection, and end to end data sharing through Hyperledger Cacti, demonstrating a practical and scalable solution on Hyperledger Fabric with a multi environment prototype. The work advances accountability in permissioned cross-blockchain ecosystems and provides a foundation for resilient, auditable inter-network operations.

Abstract

Blockchain interoperability is increasingly recognized as the centerpiece for robust interactions among decentralized services. Blockchain ledgers are generally tamper-proof and thus enforce non-repudiation for transactions recorded within the same network. However, such a guarantee does not hold for cross-blockchain transactions. When disruptions occur due to malicious activities or system failures within one blockchain network, foreign networks can take advantage by denying legitimate claims or mounting fraudulent liabilities against the defenseless network. In response, this paper introduces InterSnap, a novel blockchain snapshot archival methodology, for enabling auditability of crossblockchain transactions, enforcing non-repudiation. InterSnap introduces cross-chain transaction receipts that ensure their irrefutability. Snapshots of ledger data along with these receipts are utilized as non-repudiable proof of bilateral agreements among different networks. InterSnap enhances system resilience through a distributed snapshot generation process, need-based snapshot scheduling process, and archival storage and sharing via decentralized platforms. Through a prototype implementation based on Hyperledger Fabric, we conducted experiments using on-premise machines, AWS public cloud instances, as well as a private cloud infrastructure. We establish that InterSnap can recover from malicious attacks while preserving crosschain transaction receipts. Additionally, our proposed solution demonstrates adaptability to increasing loads while securely transferring snapshot archives with minimal overhead.

Figures (14)

• Figure 1: Cross-Chain Transaction Receipts
• Figure 2: InterSnap Workflow for Cross-Network Snapshot Archive Transfer
• Figure 3: Need based Snapshot Archival
• Figure 4: Layered Inter-Network Communication Diagram
• Figure 5: Overlapping Network Diagram Between Hyperledger Fabric and Private IPFS