Lightweight Blockchain Framework for Secure and Privacy-Preserving IoT Systems

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) has significantly transformed critical domain such has healthcare, transportation, industry, and smart cities by connecting billions of devices that can gather and share data. However, as it grows rapidly, IoT systems are grappling with significant issues around data security, user privacy, and trust. Centralized systems are particularly at risk due to single points of failure, latency issues, and potential privacy breaches, which makes them less ideal for large-scale use. While blockchain technology provides a way to decentralize and resist tampering, traditional frameworks can be too resource-heavy and impractical for low-power IoT devices.This paper introduces a Lightweight Blockchain Framework designed for Secure and Privacy-Preserving IoT Systems. It combines energy-efficient consensus mechanisms, trust-based reputation management, and a hybrid approach to on-chain and off-chain storage. By utilizing edge-assisted processing, we can cut down on computational demands, and cryptographic techniques like elliptic curve cryptography and zero-knowledge proofs help maintain privacy during authentication. The framework is built with scalability, low latency, and effective communication in mind, making it suitable for real-time IoT applications.Simulation results show that our proposed framework can reduce communication costs by 35%, lower latency, and improve privacy protection compared to traditional blockchain-based IoT systems. These findings indicate that the framework is not only lightweight and secure but also practical for applications that need privacy and quick responses, such as in healthcare, industrial automation, and smart infrastructure.