Blockchain technology in IoT forensics

Abstract

Blockchain technology solves central Internet of Things (IoT) forensics challenges—data volatility, device heterogeneity, and chain-of-custody integrity—via decentralized immutability, cryptographically secure systems, and smart contract automaton. Standard forensic software and hardware are not successful in distributed IoT contexts due to centralized reliance and evidence tampering vulnerabilities. Blockchain deployment uses layered architectures (device/edge/blockchain layers) where edge nodes process data in advance and on-chain hashes (e.g., using SHA-256) lock forensic logs onto immutable blockchains. Smart contracts make automation of evidence gathering and custody management tracking, and off-chain storage (e.g., InterPlanetary File System (IPFS)) support big data. Public blockchains like Ethereum and permissioned blockchains like Hyperledger Fabric support contextualized deployments, as seen in smart home, healthcare, and industrial IoT applications. Age-old problems are settling blockchain immutability with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) “right to erasure,” scalability for massive-volumes of IoT data with sharding/Layer 2 solutions, and zero-knowledge proofs for upholding privacy. New trends are artificial intelligence (AI)-based anomaly detection, quantum-resistant cryptography, and forensic admissibility standard frameworks (NIST/IEEE).