Embodiments presented herein provide systems and methods for creating and modifying a hash chain. A hash chain is created to track resource-privilege transfers between entities. A root node of the hash chain identifies the resource and specifies a digest of a possession token held by a first entity that initially possesses the privilege. A transfer of the privilege to a second entity can be recorded by adding an expansion node to the hash chain. If the second entity successfully reveals a possession token that a hashing function associated with the hash chain maps to the digest, an expansion node is linked to the root node. The expansion node indicates the possession token and a successor digest that is based on a successor possession token.