Blockchain is a distributed public ledger technology that originates from the digital cryptocurrency, bitcoin. Its development has attracted wide attention in industry and academia fields. Blockchain has the advantages of de-centralization, trustworthiness, anonymity and immutability. It breaks through the limitation of traditional center-based technology and has broad development prospect. This paper introduces the research progress of blockchain technology and its application in the field of information security. Firstly, the basic theory and model of blockchain are introduced from five aspects:Basic framework, key technology, technical feature, and application mode and area. Secondly, from the perspective of current research situation of blockchain in the field of information security, this paper summarizes the research progress of blockchain in authentication technology, access control technology and data protection technology, and compares the characteristics of various researches. Finally, the application challenges of blockchain technology are analyzed, and the development outlook of blockchain in the field of information security is highlighted. This study intends to provide certain reference value for future research work.