May 7, 2025
By: Jean-Philippe Beaudet
Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) are covert cyber-attacks where an attacker gains access to a computer network and remains undetected for an extended period of time, either lying in wait to attack at an opportune time in the future or manipulating the network undetected in the background for months or years.
According to the Joint Cybersecurity Advisory – an international consortium of intelligence and security organizations – the past few years have seen significant nation-state-backed cyber-attacks against the United States:
- Chinese-affiliated Volt Typhoon, “has compromised the IT environments of multiple critical infrastructure organizations – primarily in Communications, Energy, Transportation Systems, and Water and Wastewater Systems (WWS) sectors.”1
- “Russian state-sponsored APTs have used sophisticated cyber capabilities to target a variety of U.S. and international critical infrastructure organizations, including those in the Defense Industrial Base as well as the Healthcare and Public Health, Energy, Telecommunications, and Government Facilities Sectors.”2
- “[Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps]-affiliated APTs are actively targeting programmable logic controllers (PLCs). These PLCs are commonly used in the WWS Sector and other industries including, but not limited to, energy, food and beverage manufacturing, and healthcare.”3
Securing critical physical infrastructure and the software it utilizes is a central concern for U.S. national security professionals because these systems underpin every critical service we rely upon for our livelihood and survival. Blockchain technology offers innovative solutions to enhance security, ensure operational integrity, and mitigate risks to these vital assets.
Immutable Audit Trails for Infrastructure Monitoring
Blockchain’s decentralized and immutable ledger provides a secure solution for monitoring physical infrastructure. Every operation, system update, and status change can be permanently recorded on the blockchain, allowing stakeholders to audit infrastructure activity in real-time. This transparency ensures that tampering or malicious attempts to compromise critical systems—whether through physical effects or non-kinetic cyber-intrusions—are instantly detectable. Unauthorized changes or anomalies can trigger immediate alerts, empowering operators to react swiftly to mitigate damage and prevent wider-scale disruptions.
Securing Operational Technology with Decentralized Control
Operational Technology (OT) systems, such as those controlling power grids, water treatment facilities, and transportation networks, are critical to our national infrastructure. Centralized OT systems are vulnerable single points of failure, where cyber-attacks or insider threats at one entry point could compromise entire networks. Distributing these nodes through a blockchain network significantly reduces the risk of system compromise. This decentralization adds resilience by making it exceedingly difficult for adversaries to launch successful attacks on large-scale infrastructure.
Strengthening Supply Chain Integrity
The physical components of critical infrastructure – from transformers in power grids to sensors in water treatment plants – often pass through complex global supply chains before reaching their destination. Blockchain technology paired with Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring provides end-to-end visibility of each component’s journey, ensuring that only verified, authenticated, and untampered-with materials are used in infrastructure systems. By securely recording every transaction and transfer on an immutable ledger, blockchain greatly diminishes the risk of counterfeit or compromised parts being introduced into critical infrastructure, reducing the ability of adversaries to exploit systemic vulnerabilities.
Implementation of blockchains in service of protecting our critical infrastructure is perhaps one of the most important and efficacious uses cases to date for the technology and we strongly support research, investment, and implementation of them to safeguard U.S. national security.
The Digital Chamber will continue to collaborate with policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders to advance the integration of blockchain into our nation’s physical infrastructure, protecting the services and resources our citizens depend on.
The Digital Chamber is the world’s leading trade association representing blockchain and digital asset businesses. Founded in 2014, the organization has been instrumental in shaping policy, educating lawmakers, and driving regulatory clarity to support the responsible growth of the digital asset industry. For more information, visit www.digitalchamber.org.