The IoT devices are growing rapidly, which has led to an exponential rise in the amount of data those devices are producing. There is a pressing need for effective and secure data transfer techniques from IoT devices to the cloud as the amount and complexity of IoT data keep growing. This paper introduces a revolutionary idea that combines fog computing, and blockchain technology and also uses a hybrid consensus mechanism to ensure secured data transmission between IoT and Cloud. Fog computing, a branch of the cloud provides local processing, storage, and communication capabilities. By leveraging fog computing, data transmission latency is reduced, and network congestion is minimized, resulting in improved performance and responsiveness. Blockchain technology is incorporated into the system to guarantee the security of IoT data while it is being transmitted. Blockchain, with its decentralized and immutable nature, provides a transparent and tamper-proof ledger for recording data transactions. Each data transaction from an IoT device is encrypted, timestamped, and appended to the blockchain, creating an auditable and trustworthy record of data transmission. Additionally, a hybrid consensus mechanism using Delegated Proof of Stake and Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance is employed to validate the transaction. This concept addresses the challenges of data security, latency, and integrity in IoT applications, enabling the development of scalable and trustworthy IoT systems across various industries. The efficiency of the proposed system is validated by evaluating performance metrics such as latency, accuracy, precision, recall, F-score, and verification time, and comparing the results with those of existing approaches. The implemented systems, tailored for the healthcare domain, exhibit security measures and an impressive 18% reduction in latency, while enhancing the accuracy by 15% when compared to the conventional approach, as per the experimental results.
⢠Deploys AIoT and DLT to create novel business models for improved data driven services in smart cities. ⢠Provides understanding on the integration of AIoT and DLT in achieving intelligent mobility services in smart cities. ⢠Bridges the gap between theory and practice by providing insights on the potential benefits of converging AIoT and DLT. ⢠Grounded on the TOE framework this study presents the factors that impacts the convergence of AIoT and DLT in smart cities. ⢠Present use cases on the applicability of AIoT and DLT to support intelligent mobility services in smart cities. The society is witnessing an accelerated large-scale adoption of technology with transformative effects on daily transport operations, with cities now depending on data driven mobility services. Disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and decentralized technologies for example Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) are being deployed in smart cities. However, AI is faced with data security and privacy issues due to its centralized mode of deployment. Conversely, DLT which employs a decentralized architecture can be converged with AI to provide a secure data sharing across various IoT thereby overcoming the existing setbacks faced in deploying AI in smart cities. Evidently, the convergence of AI and IoT as AIoT and DLT have great potential to create novel business models for improved data driven services such as intelligent mobility in smart cities. Although research on the convergence of AI, IoT and DLT exists, our understanding of its integration in achieving intelligent mobility services in smart cities remains fragmented as current research in this area remains scarce. This study bridges the gap between theory and practice by providing researchers and practitioners with insights on the potential benefits of converging AIoT and DLT. Grounded on the Technology Organization Environment (TOE) framework this study presents the technological, organizational, and environmental factors that impacts the convergence of AIoT and DLT in smart cities. Additionally, findings from this study present use cases on the applicability of AIoT and DLT to support intelligent mobility services in smart cities.
Chi Xu, Peifeng Zhang, Xiaofang Xia, Linghe Kong ¡ 6 authors
Blockchain-based vehicular edge computing (VEC) is regarded as a promising computing paradigm that can enhance the computing capabilities of mobile vehicles while ensuring security during task offloading. However, the blockchain consensus for secure task offloading inevitably increases the communication and computation resource consumption. More importantly, the frequent handover among roadside units during the fast movement of vehicles also raises the communication cost for blockchain consensus. To address these issues, this article proposes intelligent secure task offloading and caching (ISTOC) scheme for VEC networks. Specifically, we first establish a digital twin-assisted VEC network that migrates the blockchain consensus process from the physical space to the cyber space, supporting the dynamic handover of vehicles. Correspondingly, we propose a lightweight blockchain scheme named diffused delegated Byzantine fault tolerance (d2BFT). Then, aiming at simultaneously reducing the task processing latency and improving the blockchain transaction throughput, we formulate the joint blockchain, communication, computation, and caching (B3C) optimization problem subject to task division, communication bandwidth, computing frequency, cache storage, task deadline, and blockchain stability. Due to the nonconvexity of B3C, we transform it into a Markov decision process, and propose a multiagent double actor-critic (MADAC) algorithm in light of the distributed characteristic of blockchain. Through offline training and online execution, we jointly optimize the task division, communication bandwidth, computing frequency and cache storage allocation, block size, and block generation interval for ISTOC. Experimental results show that the proposed MADAC-based ISTOC scheme can stably converge with a much higher reward than the benchmark schemes based on MADDPG, soft actor-critic, deep deterministic policy gradient, and TD3. The improvement of MADAC-ISTOC over SAC-ISTOC is more than 25.93%.
Zero-knowledge layer 2 protocols emerge as a compelling approach to overcoming blockchain scalability issues by processing transactions through the transaction finalization process. During this process, transactions are efficiently processed off the main chain. Besides, both the transaction data and the zero-knowledge proofs of transaction executions are reserved on the main chain, ensuring the availability of transaction data as well as the correctness and verifiability of transaction executions. Hence, any bugs that cause the transaction finalization failure are crucial, as they impair the usability of these protocols and the scalability of blockchains. In this work, we conduct the first systematic study on finalization failure bugs in zero-knowledge layer 2 protocols, and define two kinds of such bugs. Besides, we design fAmulet, the first tool to detect finalization failure bugs in Polygon zkRollup, a prominent zero-knowledge layer 2 protocol, by leveraging fuzzing testing. To trigger finalization failure bugs effectively, we introduce a finalization behavior model to guide our transaction fuzzer to generate and mutate transactions for inducing diverse behaviors across each component (e.g., Sequencer) in the finalization process. Moreover, we define bug oracles according to the distinct bug definitions to accurately detect bugs. Through our evaluation, fAmulet can uncover twelve zero-day finalization failure bugs in Polygon zkRollup, and cover at least 20.8% more branches than baselines. Furthermore, through our preliminary study, fAmulet uncovers a zero-day finalization failure bug in Scroll zkRollup, highlighting the generality of fAmulet to be applied to other zero-knowledge layer 2 protocols. At the time of writing, all our uncovered bugs have been confirmed and fixed by Polygon zkRollup and Scroll zkRollup teams.
Background The healthcare industry is significantly transforming toward digital and smart healthcare. Blockchain, as an emerging distributed collaborative paradigm, offers a promising solution for ensuring trustworthiness and high availability of services in this evolving healthcare. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive survey of blockchain-based applications in smart healthcare. Methods We first present real-world blockchain use cases in smart healthcare and related fields, outlining the motivations for this study. Next, we review cutting-edge blockchain applications in various domains, including health data sharing, public health management, drug supply chains, insurance claims, and the Internet of Medical Things. A detailed analysis of several blockchain-based healthcare data sharing scenarios is included. Results The findings illustrate the diverse applications of blockchain technology in enhancing healthcare systems, along with a detailed examination of challenges related to technical implementation and adoption. Conclusion We discuss the challenges facing blockchain integration in smart healthcare and propose potential solutions to guide future research in this area.
Alexandr Kuznetsov, Emanuele Frontoni, Marco Arnesano, Kateryna Kuznetsova
Blockchain-based sensor networks offer promising solutions for secure and transparent data management in IoT ecosystems. However, efficient set membership proofs remain a critical challenge, particularly in resource-constrained environments. This paper introduces a novel OR-aggregation approach (where âORâ refers to proving that an element equals at least one member of a set without revealing which one) for zero-knowledge set membership proofs, tailored specifically for blockchain-based sensor networks. We provide a comprehensive theoretical foundation, detailed protocol specification, and rigorous security analysis. Our implementation incorporates optimization techniques for resource-constrained devices and strategies for integration with prominent blockchain platforms. Extensive experimental evaluation demonstrates the superiority of our approach over existing methods, particularly for large-scale deployments. Results show significant improvements in proof size, generation time, and verification efficiency. The proposed OR-aggregation technique offers a scalable and privacy-preserving solution for set membership verification in blockchain-based IoT applications, addressing key limitations of current approaches. Our work contributes to the advancement of efficient and secure data management in large-scale sensor networks, paving the way for wider adoption of blockchain technology in IoT ecosystems.
Rahul Ganpatrao Sonkamble, Anupkumar M. Bongale, Shraddha Phansalkar, Deepak Dharrao
An Electronic Health Record (EHR) store essential and sensitive patient's medical information. Since health information is highly confidential data, it should be accessible with the consent of the patient. Blockchain based EHR management system offers improvised privacy and patient-centric approach. EHR management systems are available with multiple blockchain platforms. Generally, EHRs are maintained at several independent blockchain platforms. EHR management systems should be capable of securely exchange data on cross platform blockchain network. The interoperability in such blockchain platforms should facilitate seamless cross-chain interaction and information exchange. This article proposes a method that facilitates secure EHR exchange on Ethereum and Hyperledger fabric network using hepatitis dataset. The key contributions of the proposed method include:â˘Hash lock based interoperable cross-chain method for EHR exchange across Ethereum and Hyperledger fabric.â˘Additional security to the EHR is ensured by partitioning EHR as on-chain (blockchain platform) and off-chain InterPlanetary File System (IPFS)â˘Secure Password Authentication-Based Key Exchange (SPAKE) based session management for EHR exchange across two parties.The proposed patient centric method is validated to ensures the successful exchange of patient EHR across Ethereum and Hyperledger fabric.
Mahmoud Ahmad AlâKhasawneh, Muhammad Faheem, Ala Abdulsalam Alarood, Safa Habibullah ¡ 5 authors
Electronic health records are one of the essential components of health organizations. In recent years, there have been increased concerns about privacy and reputation regarding the storage and use of patient information. In this regard, the information provided as a part of medical and health insurance, for instance, can be viewed as proof of social insurance and governance. Several problems in the past few decades regarding medical information management have threatened patient information privacy. In intelligent healthcare applications, the privacy of patients' data is one of the main concerns. As a result, blockchain is a severe necessity as it can enhance transparency and security in medical applications. Accordingly, this paper uses the design science method to propose a secure blockchain framework for healthcare records management systems. The proposed framework comprises five components: a blockchain network, smart contracts, privacy key management, data encryption, and integration with healthcare information technology. In the proposed framework, healthcare organizations can manage healthcare information securely and privately. Additionally, a secure storage system for electronic records is proposed to meet these organizations' needs. It provides security and privacy for healthcare organizations, especially when managing healthcare information, and also proposes a secure storage system for electronic records to meet the needs of the organizations.
Enhancing data privacy security in medical data sharing is crucial for the informatization development in the healthcare sector. This paper proposes a healthcare data sharing scheme based on two-dimensional chaotic mapping and blockchain (2DCM-DS). Specifically, a new two-dimensional chaotic mapping is proposed, which demonstrates superior chaotic performance. Then, by incorporating biometric audio information as an identity credential and integrating it with the proposed two-dimensional chaotic mapping, we design a data encryption method that establishes a strongly coupled and bi-directionally verifiable data ownership relationship in healthcare data sharing. Finally, we employ blockchain as the underlying network and design corresponding smart contracts to support 2DCM-DS. This approach addresses potential issues of unauthorized access, malicious tampering, and single points of failure in centralized data sharing. Experimental results demonstrate that 2DCM-DS effectively protects data security under the specified attack models. The results validate the security and efficiency of the 2DCM-DS, proving its application potential in healthcare insurance data sharing scenarios.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of Industry 4.0, the complex computational tasks and the associated massive data volumes present substantial opportunities for advancements in machine learning at industry edges. Federated learning (FL), which is a variant of distributed machine learning for edge-cloud computing, presents itself as a persuasive resolution for these industrial edges, with its main objectives being the mitigation of privacy breaches and the resolution of data privacy concerns. However, traditional FL methodologies encounter difficulties in effectively overseeing extensive undertakings in Industry 4.0 as a result of challenges including wireless communications with high latency, substantial heterogeneity, and insufficient security protocols. As a consequence of these obstacles, blockchain technology has garnered acclaim for its secure, decentralized, and transparent data storage functionalities. A novel blockchain-enabled group federated learning (BGFL) framework designed specifically for wireless industrial edges is presented in this paper. By strategically dividing industrial devices into multiple groups, the BGFL framework simultaneously reduces the wireless traffic loads required for convergence and improves the accuracy of collaborative learning. Moreover, to optimize aggregation procedures and reduce communication resource utilization, the BGFL employs a hierarchical aggregation strategy that consists of both local and global aggregation off-chain and on-chain, respectively. The integration of a smart contract mechanism serves to fortify the security framework. The results of comparative experimental analyses demonstrate that the BGFL framework enhances the resilience of the learning framework and effectively reduces wireless communication latency. Thus, it offers a scalable and efficient solution for offloading tasks in edge-cloud computing environments.
This article examines the application of blockchain technology as a solution for secure and transparent software update distribution. As cyber threats evolve, traditional centralized update mechanisms face increasing vulnerabilities to tampering and unauthorized modifications. We propose a blockchain-based framework that leverages distributed ledger technology to create an immutable, decentralized environment for software updates. Our article demonstrates how this approach can eliminate single points of failure, ensure update integrity through cryptographic signing and network-wide verification, and enhance transparency in the update process. We discuss the system architecture, including update creation, distribution, and verification mechanisms, and evaluate its integration with existing software ecosystems. While acknowledging challenges such as scalability and implementation costs, we argue that blockchain-based solutions significantly advance securing software distribution. Our findings suggest that this approach has the potential to become a standard practice in the industry, substantially improving trust and reliability in software update systems. This article contributes to the growing body of research on blockchain applications in cybersecurity and provides insights for future developments in secure software distribution methods.
Baron Chain represents a next-generation blockchain architecture designed to address the challenges of scalability, security, and interoperability, especially as we transition into the quantum age. Built on the AQUILA frameworkâan AI-powered Quantum-safe Universal Interchain Ledger ArchitectureâBaron Chain integrates state-of-the-art technologies to create a secure, scalable, and efficient decentralized network. At the core of Baron Chain's architecture is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), which optimizes node operations, transaction routing, and cross-chain communication. AI-driven mechanisms minimize transaction hops, dynamically adjust network resources, and enhance transaction throughput, ensuring fast and efficient processing across the network. The architecture is also quantum-ready, incorporating Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) with the initial deployment of Kyber hybrid PQC to safeguard data integrity and availability against future quantum threats. Baron Chain leverages a customized version of the Cosmos SDK with Tendermint as its consensus algorithm, ensuring Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) while maintaining high throughput and fast finality. This robust consensus, combined with the scalability provided by AI, enables seamless operation across multiple interconnected blockchains. The Baron Chain Bridge (BCB) facilitates interchain and intrachain communication, supporting a wide array of blockchain ecosystems through integrated protocols like IBC and LayerZero. With Tendermint ensuring secure and efficient block finalization, Baron Chain's architecture provides quantum-safe cryptographic protection, making it ideal for data-sensitive applications in industries such as defense, critical infrastructure, and decentralized finance. This whitepaper outlines the technical foundations of Baron Chain, offering detailed implementation specifications, including code samples and diagrams that illustrate how AI, PQC, and Tendermint consensus contribute to the network's performance, security, and interoperability. As the quantum era approaches, Baron Chainâs quantum-safe blockchain offers a long-term solution for ensuring data availability, integrity, and security, making it a critical platform for the future of decentralized technology and high-security industries.
Abstract With the rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud storage has emerged as one of the cornerstones of data management, facilitating ubiquitous access and seamless sharing of information. However, with the involvement of a third party, traditional cloudâbased storage systems are plagued by security and availability concerns, stemming from centralized control and management architectures. A novel blockchainâIoT model that leverages blockchain technology and decentralized storage mechanisms to address these challenges is presented. The model combines the Ethereum blockchain, interplanetary file system, and attributeâbased encryption to ensure secure and resilient storage and sharing of IoT data. Through an inâdepth exploration of the system architecture and underlying mechanisms, it is demonstrated how the framework decouples storage functionality from resourceâconstrained IoT devices, mitigating security risks associated with onâdevice storage. In addition, data owners and users can easily exchange data with one another through the use of Ethereum smart contracts, fostering a collaborative environment and providing incentives for data sharing. Moreover, an incentive mechanism powered by the FileCoin cryptocurrency is introduced, which motivates and ensures data sharing transparency and integrity between stakeholders. Furthermore, in the proposed blockchainâIoT model, the proofâofâauthority system consensus algorithm has been replaced by a delegated proofâofâcapacity system, which reduces transaction costs and energy consumption. Using the Rinkby Ethereum official testing network, the proposed model has been demonstrated to be feasible and economical, emphasizing its potential to redefine IoT data management.
Open access
Blockchain Technology Applications and Security
IoT and Edge/Fog Computing
Advanced Steganography and Watermarking Techniques
Senay A. Gebreab, Ahmad Musamih, Haya R. Hasan, Khaled Salah ¡ 7 authors
Digital twins and digital artifacts have become integral components of metaverse platforms, providing users with a rich, immersive, and interactive digital experience through the deployment of diverse digital twins and digital artifacts such as 3D avatars, images, and objects. To date, a significant challenge persists in the lack of practical mechanisms to enable seamless teleportation and cross-metaverse interoperability for these digital twins and digital artifacts. There is also a lack of trusted monetization methods that facilitate trading and leasing of digital twins and digital artifacts. To address these important challenges, this paper proposes a blockchain and Non-Fungible Token (NFT)-based solution that facilitates the integration and teleportation of these digital twins and digital artifacts by providing trusted metadata, verifying ownership, and ensuring the authenticity of digital creations in the virtual world. Key to our solution is the introduction of a bridging mechanism that enables cross-metaverse interoperability, allowing for the portable transfer of NFTs across decentralized metaverse platforms. In addition, our solution focuses on empowering original digital creators by enabling the monetization of their creations through the ownership management capabilities offered by NFTs. To reliably and securely store the metadata and content of tokenized digital twins and digital artifacts, we integrate into our solution the Interplanetary File System (IPFS), a decentralized storage system. To demonstrate the feasibility of our solution, we have developed and deployed all necessary smart contracts that govern the main functionalities and interactions of the proposed system on the Ethereum Goerli Testnet. We present our proposed system architecture, accompanied by informative sequence diagrams, algorithms, and testing details. We discuss how our proposed solution attains the main objectives outlined in the paper. We evaluate our proposed solution in terms of cost and security. We have made the complete source code of our smart contracts publicly available on GitHub.
One of the main security challenges when federating separate Internet of Things (IoT) administrative domains is effective Identity and Access Management, which is required to establish trust and secure communication between federated IoT devices. The primary goal of the work is to develop a âlightweightâ protocol to enable authentication and authorization of IoT devices in federated environments and ensure the secure communication of IoT devices. We propose a novel Lightweight Authentication and Authorization Framework for Federated IoT (LAAFFI) which takes advantage of the unique fingerprint of IoT devices based on their configuration and additional hardware modules, such as Physical Unclonable Function, to provide flexible authentication and authorization based on Distributed Ledger technology. Moreover, LAAFFI supports IoT devices with limited computing resources and devices not equipped with secure storage space. We implemented a prototype of LAAFFI and evaluated its performance in the Hyperledger Fabric-based IoT framework. Three main metrics were evaluated: latency, throughput (number of operations or transactions per second), and network resource utilization rate (transmission overhead introduced by the LAAFFI protocol). The performance tests conducted confirmed the high efficiency and suitability of the protocol for federated IoT environments. Also, all LAAFFI components are scalable as confirmed by tests. We formally evaluated LAAFFI security using Verifpal as a formal verification tool. Based on the models developed for Verifpal, we validated their security properties, such as message secrecy, authenticity, and freshness. Our results show that the proposed solution can improve the security of federated IoT environments while providing zero-day interoperability and high scalability. Compared to existing solutions, LAAFFI is more efficient due to the use of symmetric cryptography and algorithms adapted for operations involving IoT devices. LAAFFI supports multiple authorization mechanisms, and since it also offers authentication and accountability, it meets the requirements of Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA). It uses Distributed Ledger (DL) and smart contracts to ensure that the request complies with the policies agreed between the organizations. LAAFFI offers authentication of devices belonging to a single organization and different organizations, with the assurance that the encryption key will be shared with another device only if the appropriate security policy is met. The proposed protocol is particularly useful for ensuring the security of federated IoT environments created ad hoc for special missions, e.g., operations conducted by NATO countries and disaster relief operations Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) involving military forces and civilian services, where immediate interoperability is required.
JosÊ Benzinho, João J. Ferreira, Joel Batista, Leandro Pereira ¡ 8 authors
Blockchain technology has been used with great effect in farm-to-fork traceability projects. However, this technology has a steep learning curve when it comes to its user interface. To minimize this difficulty, we created a solution based on a Large Language Model (LLM) conversational agent. Our implementation, starting with an existing knowledge base that is prepared and processed with an embedding model to be stored in a vector database, follows a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) approach. Other non-textual media like images and videos are aggregated with the embeddings to enrich the user experience. User queries are combined with a proximity search in the vector database and feed into an LLM that considers the conversation history with the user in its replies. Given the asynchronous nature of these models, we implemented a similarly asynchronous scheme using Server-Sent Events that deliver the modelsâ replies to a UI that supports multimodal media types such as images and videos by providing the visualization of these resources. The end solution allows users to interact with advanced technologies using a natural language interface; this in turn empowers food traceability projects to overcome their natural difficulty in engaging early adopters.
Joe Davids, Mohamed El-Sharkawy, Hutan Ashrafian, Eric Herlenius ¡ 5 authors
Abstract Background The use of Cloud-based storage personal health records has increased globally. The GPOC series introduces the concept of a Global Patient co-Owned Cloud (GPOC) of personal health records. Technical sandboxes allow the capability to simulate different scientific concepts before making them production ready. None exist for the medical fields and cloud-based research. Methods We constructed and tested the sandbox using open-source infrastructures (Ubuntu, Alpine Linux, and Colaboratory) and demonstrated it on a cloud platform. Data preprocessing utilised standard and in-house libraries. The Mina protocol, implementing zero-knowledge proofs, ensured secure blockchain operations, while the Ethereum smart contract protocol within Hyperledger Besu supported enterprise-grade sandbox development. Results Here, we present the GPOC seriesâ technical sandbox. This is to facilitate future online research and testing of the concept and its security, encryption, movability, research potential, risks and structure. It has several protocols for homomorphic encryption, decentralisation, transfers, and file management. The sandbox is openly available online and tests authorisation, transmission, access control, and integrity live. It invites all committed parties to test and improve the platform. Individual patients, clinics, organisations and regulators are invited to test and develop the concept. The sandbox displays co-ownership of personal health records. Here it is trisected between patients, clinics and clinicians. Patients can actively participate in research and control their health data. The challenges include ensuring that a unified underlying protocol is maintained for cross-border delivery of care based on data management regulations. Conclusions The GPOC concept, as demonstrated by the GPOC Sandbox, represents an advancement in healthcare technology. By promoting patient co-ownership and utilising advanced technologies like blockchain and homomorphic encryption, the GPOC initiative enhances individual control over health data and facilitates collaborative medical research globally. The justification for this research lies in its potential to improve evidence-based medicine and AI dissemination. The significance of the GPOC initiative extends to various aspects of healthcare, patient co-ownership of health data, promoting access to resources and healthcare democratisation. The implications include better global health outcomes through continued development and collaboration, ensuring the successful adoption of the GPOC Sandbox and advancing innovation in digital health.
JoĂŁo C. Ferreira, LuĂs B. Elvas, Ricardo Correia, Miguel Mascarenhas
The management and exchange of electronic health records (EHRs) remain critical challenges in healthcare, with fragmented systems, varied standards, and security concerns hindering seamless interoperability. These challenges compromise patient care and operational efficiency. This paper proposes a novel solution to address these issues by leveraging distributed ledger technology (DLT), including blockchain, to enhance data security, integrity, and transparency in healthcare systems. The decentralized and immutable nature of DLT enables more efficient and secure information exchange across platforms, improving decision-making and coordination of care. This paper outlines a strategic implementation approach, detailing timelines, resource requirements, and stakeholder involvement while addressing crucial privacy and security concerns like encryption and access control. In addition, it explores standards and protocols necessary for achieving interoperability, offering case studies that demonstrate the framework's effectiveness. This work contributes by introducing a DLT-based solution to the persistent issue of EHR interoperability, providing a novel pathway to secure and efficient health data exchanges. It also identifies the standards and protocols essential for integrating DLT with existing health information systems, thereby facilitating a smoother transition toward enhanced interoperability.
Smart cities increasingly rely on the Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance infrastructure and public services. However, many existing IoT frameworks face challenges related to security, privacy, scalability, efficiency, and low latency. This paper introduces the Blockchain and Federated Learning for IoT (BFLIoT) framework as a solution to these issues. In the proposed method, the framework first collects real-time data, such as traffic flow and environmental conditions, then normalizes, encrypts, and securely stores it on a blockchain to ensure tamper-proof data management. In the second phase, the Data Authorization Center (DAC) uses advanced cryptographic techniques to manage secure data access and control through key generation. Additionally, edge computing devices process data locally, reducing the load on central servers, while federated learning enables distributed model training, ensuring data privacy. This approach provides a scalable, secure, efficient, and low-latency solution for IoT applications in smart cities. A comprehensive security proof demonstrates BFLIoTâs resilience against advanced cyber threats, while performance simulations validate its effectiveness, showing significant improvements in throughput, reliability, energy efficiency, and reduced delay for smart city applications.
Hari Mohan, Kaustubh Kumar Shukla, Lilia Tightiz, Sanjeevikumar Padmanaban
The integration of blockchain technology with the IoToffers numerous opportunities to enhance the privacy, security, and integrity. This study comprehensively analyze the challenges, scope, and potential solutions associated with integrating blockchain technology and the IoT, with a specific emphasis on nuclear energy applications. We discuss the roles and various aspects of blockchain and the IoT, highlighting their multiple dimensions and applications. Our study develops a secure data management framework that incorporates encryption, integrity verification, an integrated communication network, and a robust data flow architecture. We explore the several aspects of data security, privacy, and integrity, along with the potential solutions in the integration of blockchain and IoT. The study also investigates the secure transaction process, with a specific focus on cryptographic, mathematical, and algorithmic perspectives. We demonstrated the use of blockchain technology in the nuclear energy sector using flow charts, comprehensively addressing the associated security and privacy concerns. While emphasizing the applicability of our methodology to the nuclear sector, we also acknowledge limitations such as requirements for practical validation, challenges with resource-constrained IoT environments, increasing cyberthreats, and limited real-time data availability. The future scope of our study focuses on standardization, scalable blockchain, post-quantum cryptography, privacy, regulations, real-world testbeds, and deep learning for nuclear sector security. Our findings highlight that the integration of blockchain and IoT can significantly enhance the security and privacy of nuclear energy applications, although practical validation and optimization are necessary.
Abstract The widespread adoption of cloud computing has dramatically altered how data is stored, processed, and accessed in an era. The rapid development of digital technologies characterizes all this. The widespread adoption of cloud services has introduced new obstacles to guaranteeing secure and expeditious access to sensitive data. Organizations of all types find user-friendly and cost-effective solutions crucial, which is why they consider cloud services essential. The availability of the cloud hampers access control security in systems that are constantly and remotely changing. Conventional methods of access control are efficient, but the advanced world of technology exposes them to more threats. Applying blockchain technology to cloud access control systems, which are decentralized, transparent, and tamper-proof, has overcome these challenges. This paper aims to discuss the potential of blockchain in enhancing access management, security and trust in cloud computing. Besides, this scholarly article reviews the evolving area of blockchain-based access control systems and synthesizes the findings of 118 selected papers from various academic repositories. Based on this systematic review of the studies, twelve different types of blockchain-based access control paradigms can be identified. This work provides a critical analysis of the research on blockchain technology in access control systems, with a focus on scalability, compatibility, and security challenges. It also highlights areas that require further research and proposes directions for future research to advance this rapidly growing area of scholarship.
This paper surveys innovative protocols that enhance the programming functionality of the Bitcoin blockchain, a key part of the "Bitcoin Ecosystem." Bitcoin utilizes the Unspent Transaction Output (UTXO) model and a stack-based script language for efficient peer-to-peer payments, but it faces limitations in programming capability and throughput. The 2021 Taproot upgrade introduced the Schnorr signature algorithm and P2TR transaction type, significantly improving Bitcoin's privacy and programming capabilities. This upgrade has led to the development of protocols like Ordinals, Atomicals, and BitVM, which enhance Bitcoin's programming functionality and enrich its ecosystem. We explore the technical aspects of the Taproot upgrade and examine Bitcoin Layer 1 protocols that leverage Taproot's features to program non-fungible tokens (NFTs) into transactions, including Ordinals and Atomicals, along with the fungible token standards BRC-20 and ARC-20. Additionally, we categorize certain Bitcoin ecosystem protocols as Layer 2 solutions similar to Ethereum's, analyzing their impact on Bitcoin's performance. By analyzing data from the Bitcoin blockchain, we gather metrics on block capacity, miner fees, and the growth of Taproot transactions. Our findings confirm the positive effects of these protocols on Bitcoin's mainnet, bridging gaps in the literature regarding Bitcoin's programming capabilities and ecosystem protocols and providing valuable insights for practitioners and researchers.
Afnan Alsadhan, Areej Alhogail, Hessah A. Alsalamah
The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is a rapidly expanding network comprising medical devices, sensors, and software that collect and exchange patient health data. Today, the IoMT has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by offering more personalized care to patients and improving the efficiency of healthcare delivery. However, the IoMT also introduces significant privacy concerns, particularly regarding data privacy. IoMT devices often collect and store large amounts of data about patientsâ health. These data could be used to track patientsâ movements, monitor their health habits, and even predict their future health risks. This extensive data collection and surveillance could be a major invasion of patient privacy. Thus, privacy-preserving research in an IoMT context is an important area of research that aims to mitigate these privacy issues. This review paper comprehensively applies the PRISMA methodology to analyze, review, classify, and compare current approaches of preserving patient data privacy within IoMT blockchain-based healthcare environments.
Electronic health records (EHRs) are increasingly replacing traditional paper-based medical records due to their speed, security, and ability to eliminate redundant data. However, challenges such as EHR interoperability and privacy concerns remain unresolved. Blockchain, a distributed ledger technology comprising connected, encrypted data blocks, presents a promising solution. This study explores how blockchain technology can revolutionize hospital EHR management. Our proposed solution securely transfers medical records between patients and doctors using the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) and the Ethereum platform. Utilizing smart contracts automates data transfers, ensuring patient anonymity and reducing computational complexity while securely storing patient data on the network. Patient records are stored locally on the Ganache server, with the front end managed using HTML, CSS, ReactJS, and JavaScript, and the backend developed in Solidity. Blockchain technologies combined with Role- Based access control instead of attribute -based access control. The system's throughput increases linearly with the number of users and requests, enhancing the framework's efficiency and scalability. The minimum recorded latency is 14 ms.