IOTASDN: IOTA 2.0 Smart Contracts for Securing SDN Ecosystem

Abstract

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) has revolutionized network management by providing unprecedented flexibility, control, and efficiency. However, its centralized architecture introduces critical security vulnerabilities. This paper presents an innovative approach to securing SDN environments using IOTA 2.0 smart contracts. The proposed system leverages the IOTA Tangle, a directed acyclic graph (DAG) structure, to enhance scalability and efficiency while eliminating transaction fees and reducing energy consumption. We introduce three smart contracts—Authority, Access Control, and DoS Detector—to ensure secure network operations, prevent unauthorized access, and mitigate denial-of-service attacks. Through comprehensive simulations using Mininet and the ShimmerEVM IOTA Test Network, we demonstrate the efficacy of our approach in enhancing SDN security. Our findings highlight the potential of IOTA 2.0 smart contracts to provide a robust, decentralized solution for securing SDN environments, paving the way for further integration of blockchain technologies in network management.