{"id":1117,"date":"2025-05-12T03:09:40","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T08:09:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/?p=1117"},"modified":"2025-05-12T03:09:40","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T08:09:40","slug":"blockchain-crypto-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Blockchain Crypto Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<header>\n<h1>\u26d3\ufe0f Blockchain Cryptography Explained: Merkle Trees, Wallets, and Smart Contract Risks<\/h1>\n<p><em>By James K. Bishop, vCISO | Founder, <a href=\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stage Four Security<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<section>\n<h2>\ud83d\udd0d Why Cryptography Is Core to Blockchain<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1132\" src=\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4-300x200.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>Blockchains are often described as &#8220;trustless,&#8221; but that trust is rooted in cryptographic guarantees\u2014not magic. Public key cryptography, hashing, and consensus mechanisms enforce integrity, ownership, and immutability in blockchain systems.<\/p>\n<p>This post breaks down the key cryptographic structures that power blockchain networks\u2014without diving into cryptocurrency hype. We\u2019ll cover Merkle trees, key pairs, digital signatures, and the risks that smart contracts and wallets introduce.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>\ud83d\udd11 Wallets and Key Pairs<\/h2>\n<p>In blockchain systems like Ethereum and Bitcoin, a wallet isn&#8217;t an account\u2014it\u2019s a <strong>public\/private key pair<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Private key:<\/strong> Secret value used to sign transactions<\/li>\n<li><strong>Public key:<\/strong> Derived from the private key, used to verify signatures<\/li>\n<li><strong>Address:<\/strong> A hashed version of the public key (e.g., Ethereum address)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Whoever controls the private key controls the assets. Lose the key, lose the crypto. No password reset.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>\u270d\ufe0f Digital Signatures in Action<\/h2>\n<p>Every transaction on a blockchain is signed using the sender\u2019s private key. The network verifies the signature using the public key, ensuring that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The transaction is authentic<\/li>\n<li>The sender intended to send it<\/li>\n<li>It hasn\u2019t been tampered with<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is what allows decentralized systems to enforce rules without a central authority.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>\ud83c\udf32 Merkle Trees: Efficient Integrity<\/h2>\n<p>Blockchains use Merkle trees (also called hash trees) to verify large datasets without storing or comparing all records:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Transactions are hashed into leaf nodes<\/li>\n<li>Hashes are paired and rehashed upward to form a tree<\/li>\n<li>The top node is the <strong>Merkle root<\/strong>, stored in the block header<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This structure enables efficient verification that a given transaction exists in a block\u2014critical for light clients and fraud proofs.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>\ud83d\udce6 Blocks and Immutability<\/h2>\n<p>Each block contains:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A timestamp<\/li>\n<li>The Merkle root of its transactions<\/li>\n<li>The hash of the previous block<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By chaining blocks together with hashes, any tampering breaks the entire chain. That\u2019s what gives blockchains their immutability\u2014if you change the past, you break the future.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>\ud83d\udca3 Smart Contract Vulnerabilities<\/h2>\n<p>Smart contracts are programs that run on the blockchain\u2014but their risks are cryptographic, logical, and financial:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Reentrancy attacks:<\/strong> Untrusted contracts exploit call logic to drain funds (e.g., The DAO hack)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Integer overflows:<\/strong> Math bugs cause balance miscalculations (pre-Solidity 0.8.0)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Key mismanagement:<\/strong> Developers expose private keys in deployment scripts or GitHub<\/li>\n<li><strong>Upgradable proxies:<\/strong> Introduce unexpected mutability if not audited properly<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once deployed, smart contracts are often immutable\u2014so bugs become permanent vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>\ud83d\udd10 Multi-Sig and Threshold Schemes<\/h2>\n<p>To reduce single points of failure (like one lost key), many blockchain systems support:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Multi-signature wallets:<\/strong> Require N-of-M signatures to execute a transaction<\/li>\n<li><strong>Threshold cryptography:<\/strong> Splits a private key into shares using Shamir&#8217;s Secret Sharing or similar<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These methods improve governance and reduce catastrophic loss\u2014but require careful implementation and secure recovery workflows.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>\ud83e\udde0 Blockchain \u2260 Magic: Crypto Hygiene Still Matters<\/h2>\n<p>Despite decentralized architecture, blockchain security still depends on fundamentals:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Secure private key storage (preferably hardware wallets or HSMs)<\/li>\n<li>Audited smart contracts<\/li>\n<li>Trusted randomness for key generation<\/li>\n<li>Resilience against phishing and social engineering<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Most &#8220;crypto&#8221; hacks aren\u2019t cryptographic\u2014they\u2019re operational failures.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>\ud83d\udce3 Final Thought<\/h2>\n<p>Blockchains don\u2019t eliminate trust\u2014they shift it from institutions to math. But that math still relies on secure key handling, correct code, and strong cryptographic design. If you&#8217;re building or integrating with blockchain systems, treat cryptographic hygiene as non-negotiable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Need help reviewing your blockchain key handling, smart contract controls, or multisig implementation?<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/partner-with-stage-four-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Let\u2019s talk<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u26d3\ufe0f Blockchain Cryptography Explained: Merkle Trees, Wallets, and Smart Contract Risks By James K. Bishop, vCISO | Founder, Stage Four [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cryptography"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Blockchain Crypto Explained - Stage Four Security Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Understand how blockchains use cryptography\u2014Merkle trees, digital signatures, and consensus\u2014to ensure security and immutability.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blockchain Crypto Explained - Stage Four Security Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Understand how blockchains use cryptography\u2014Merkle trees, digital signatures, and consensus\u2014to ensure security and immutability.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Stage Four Security Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-12T08:09:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"stagefoursec\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"stagefoursec\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"stagefoursec\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9224811ebe1947fee603931e220ecfde\"},\"headline\":\"Blockchain Crypto Explained\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-12T08:09:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/\"},\"wordCount\":578,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4-300x200.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Cryptography\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/\",\"name\":\"Blockchain Crypto Explained - Stage Four Security Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4-300x200.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-12T08:09:40+00:00\",\"description\":\"Understand how blockchains use cryptography\u2014Merkle trees, digital signatures, and consensus\u2014to ensure security and immutability.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4.png\",\"width\":1536,\"height\":1024},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Blockchain Crypto Explained\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Stage Four Security Blog\",\"description\":\"Protecting today, fortifying tomorrow\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Stage Four Security Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/cropped-Stage-Four-Security-Blog-Logo-1000x150-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/cropped-Stage-Four-Security-Blog-Logo-1000x150-1.png\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"Stage Four Security Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9224811ebe1947fee603931e220ecfde\",\"name\":\"stagefoursec\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fdb94f17254222fa9c8b7db050a58a5fa4fb24ae32e20e7e1974b87b01a751d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fdb94f17254222fa9c8b7db050a58a5fa4fb24ae32e20e7e1974b87b01a751d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"stagefoursec\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/author\/admin_w171pcka\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Blockchain Crypto Explained - Stage Four Security Blog","description":"Understand how blockchains use cryptography\u2014Merkle trees, digital signatures, and consensus\u2014to ensure security and immutability.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Blockchain Crypto Explained - Stage Four Security Blog","og_description":"Understand how blockchains use cryptography\u2014Merkle trees, digital signatures, and consensus\u2014to ensure security and immutability.","og_url":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/","og_site_name":"Stage Four Security Blog","article_published_time":"2025-05-12T08:09:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1536,"height":1024,"url":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"stagefoursec","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4.png","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"stagefoursec","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/"},"author":{"name":"stagefoursec","@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9224811ebe1947fee603931e220ecfde"},"headline":"Blockchain Crypto Explained","datePublished":"2025-05-12T08:09:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/"},"wordCount":578,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4-300x200.png","articleSection":["Cryptography"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/","url":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/","name":"Blockchain Crypto Explained - Stage Four Security Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4-300x200.png","datePublished":"2025-05-12T08:09:40+00:00","description":"Understand how blockchains use cryptography\u2014Merkle trees, digital signatures, and consensus\u2014to ensure security and immutability.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Crypto-Post-4.png","width":1536,"height":1024},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/12\/blockchain-crypto-explained\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Blockchain Crypto Explained"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/","name":"Stage Four Security Blog","description":"Protecting today, fortifying tomorrow","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Stage Four Security Blog","url":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/cropped-Stage-Four-Security-Blog-Logo-1000x150-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/cropped-Stage-Four-Security-Blog-Logo-1000x150-1.png","width":1000,"height":150,"caption":"Stage Four Security Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9224811ebe1947fee603931e220ecfde","name":"stagefoursec","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fdb94f17254222fa9c8b7db050a58a5fa4fb24ae32e20e7e1974b87b01a751d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fdb94f17254222fa9c8b7db050a58a5fa4fb24ae32e20e7e1974b87b01a751d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"stagefoursec"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/author\/admin_w171pcka\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1117"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1140,"href":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117\/revisions\/1140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagefoursecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}