Cybersecurity Challenges in Blockchain Technology: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Blockchain technology (BCT) is an emerging technology. Cybersecurity challenges in BCT are being explored to add greater value to business processes and reshape business operations. This scoping review paper was aimed at exploring the current literature’s scope and categorizing various types of cybersecurity challenges in BCT. Databases such as Elsevier, ResearchGate, IEEE, ScienceDirect, and ABI/INFORM Collection (ProQuest) were searched using a combination of terms, and after rigorous screening, 51 research studies were found relevant. Data coding was performed following a framework proposed for scoping review. After careful analysis, thirty different types of cybersecurity challenges in BCT were categorized into six standardized classes. Our results show that most of the studies disclose cybersecurity challenges in BCT generally without pointing to any specific industry sector, and to a very little extent, few papers reveal cybersecurity challenges in BCT related to specific industry sectors. Also, prior studies barely investigated the strategies to minimize cybersecurity challenges in BCT. Based on gap identification, future research avenues were proposed for scholars.