Blockchain-based security for heterogeneous IoT systems

Kale Yuzik, Dwight J. Makaroff

Abstract: The Internet of Things (IoT) is being deployed in industry, public services, and even homes. These devices are making information more available and allow for greater automation and efficiencies. With the rapid growth this industry is experiencing, the security of IoT devices has not been given the attention it needs. Many of these devices leave sensitive information exposed or may allow for malicious actors to take control of them. The Internet of Things uses a vast range of hardware which has led to many different approaches to security. Administering a network with such variability makes it easy for insecure configurations to be overlooked. This paper proposes the use of blockchain technology as the backbone to a security framework to unify IoT devices of varying resource constraints under one system. Ethereum is used to create a secure system that is Denial of Service resistant, store encryption keys, store encrypted data, and manage trust of devices. Using the Proof-of-Authority consensus method instead of the more common Proof-of-Work, allows for more efficient use of resources. This system features mechanisms to include the use of LoRa LPWAN technology, which is often used in IoT. Tests were run on a small network of devices while recording processor utilization. Latencies were also measured, showing that devices with fewer resources showed significant latencies, and suggestions as to how these latencies can be reduced are proposed.