In the rising world, we have been witnessing major technological shifts in our surroundings and the Internet of Things has been amongst the popular ones. It has stood at the top in the exchange of vast amounts of data through systems and devices in real-time. From smart homes to bringing automation into industries, IoT devices have merged into our daily lives and business operations. There are a plethora of benefits, but with the increasing number of devices, security concerns are also rising proportionally. That’s why there has been an increased focus on the safety and privacy of IoT systems.
Blockchain development services seem to be a highly reliable solution for IoT security. With its ability to thwart data tampering, it offers a promising solution to the growing security needs of both businesses and consumers. The secure and transparent framework of blockchain will help to shore up various vulnerabilities in IoT systems.
Why Are IoT Devices Highly Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks?
The IoT devices are vulnerable to cyber attacks due to the limited in-built security measures for terminating threats. The limited processing power and the restricted settings are responsible for the vulnerabilities. IoT devices have restricted functionality because they usually run on minimal power. As a result, their security protocols frequently fail.
Due to the vulnerabilities, cybercriminals may even hijack these systems and launch attacks against critical systems. Cybercriminals often target and exploit recognized weak points in IoT devices, converting them into compromised networks known as IoT botnets.
Why is Blockchain a Game-Changer for IoT Cybersecurity?
You can leverage blockchain technology to improve the security and privacy of IoT systems. The blockchain technology offers open, unchangeable, and safe transactions for better security and privacy. As IoT systems proliferate and interconnect, leveraging blockchain presents a compelling solution to address the escalating cybersecurity challenges.
The researchers have started using intrusion detection systems (IDS) for improving monitoring and detection, prevention of malicious activities or attacks, and tamper-proof transactions plus storage in IoT networks and devices. The immutability attribute of blockchain promotes security and efficient data storage for resource-constrained systems.
How Distributed Ledgers Prevent IoT Data Tampering and Spoofing?
Distributed ledger technology is the major characteristic of the blockchain. Unlike conventional techniques which use centralized database operations like data addition and deletion, querying, modification, etc., there are only two operations in blockchain which are adding and querying. There are different data structures that analyze data in DLT-based blockchains. This allows the blockchain system for better privacy, integrity, and authenticity.
Furthermore, distributed ledger technology also helps blockchain to achieve data provenance. This contributes to making Blockchain algorithms more secure. Additionally, the distributed ledger strengthens the Blockchain’s fault tolerance and fortifies it against hostile threats and attacks.
Why Integrate Blockchain for IoT Security?
The various complexities of IoT systems such as heterogeneity, resource constraintment, high vulnerability to adversarial attacks, privacy, and others can be addressed efficiently by blockchain technology. There are a lot of benefits in strengthening the security of IoT devices by Blockchain-IoT integration:
a. Improved Security
IoT devices collect a huge amount of data which requires careful handling and storage. The encryption and cryptographic methods of blockchain help in securing this data. Blockchain also facilitates automatic software updates in IoT systems without compromising security and privacy. The immunity of the IoT systems gets increased with minimum risk of security breaches. A Blockchain-based privacy preservation approach is designed to detect unauthorized intrusions in the IoT systems.
b. Better Interoperability
Blockchain can record user and transaction information and offer improved interoperability. The decentralized Blockchain platform facilitates a safe connection between many platforms or apps and permits the processing, mining, transformation, and modification of various IoT dataset kinds.
c. Automatic Interactions
In the IoT devices network, almost every device can interact with the other automatically. Blockchain technology can improve this feature with better security. Blockchain allows autonomous interaction using a Decentralized Autonomous Corporations (DACs) which prevents the involvement of traditional agencies and entities. Smart contracts are included with DACs, which can operate autonomously. They can drastically lower the cost of installation because they don’t require any manual involvement. IoT systems can benefit from automatic interaction when implementing device-agnostic apps.
d. Reliability
Blockchain offers high reliability in IoT applications as it can validate the effectiveness of distributed networks which can authenticate the information and ensure the data has not been tampered with. Blockchain-IoT integration will also offer traceability and accountability of IoT sensor data.
e. Secure Code Deployment
The immutability of blockchain technology can be advantageous for the safe and secure implementation of code for Internet of Things applications. This feature helps the Internet of Things system update its software from many sources in a safe way.
f. Traceability
With the traceability feature of the blockchain, the users can access, verify, and validate the data whenever they want. In blockchain, all the stored transactions are traceable. It ensures the easy availability of the required information.
Smart Contracts for Automated IoT Device Governance and Control
You can also leverage the services of any Smart Contract Development Company for higher security of your IoT systems. Smart contract translates assets like IoT devices, and digital assets into virtual identities and they can interact with other assets. Smart contracts are appealing to replace normal contracts as an efficient and secure method. The code of the smart contract is stored in the Blockchain and identified by a unique address.
Real-World Applications of Blockchain in IoT Security
Blockchain technology has already started penetrating IoT systems for improved security in various areas. Here are a few popular examples:
a. Secure Home Automation
Today’s homes are equipped with various smart devices interacting with each other. It includes smart locks, thermostats, and security cameras. Blockchain helps in securing the communication between these smart devices. A popular example is the integration of blockchain technology into Samsung’s SmartThings platform. It helps in increasing the security of devices and ensures seamless operation within smart homes.
b. Supply Chain Management
In the supply chain industry, blockchain helps in improving traceability and transparency. It increases the security of IoT devices used for tracking goods. There are various steps in the supply chain process and all get recorded in the blockchain. It ensures the authenticity and integrity of products from manufacturer to customer.
Blockchain technology has been used by businesses such as IBM to improve food supply chain security and transparency, enabling customers to confirm the provenance of their food items.
c. Healthcare
The healthcare industry is leveraging blockchain-IoT integration for the protection of patient data. Blockchain facilitates the secure transmission of patient data between authorized entities while ensuring patient privacy and data integrity. Projects like MedRec use blockchain to securely manage patient health records, allowing for interoperability while maintaining confidentiality.
d. Smart Cities
In smart cities, systems such as traffic management systems, environmental monitoring systems, etc. can use blockchain-IoT integration for improved security of IoT devices. Urban services and public safety can be improved by cities by protecting the data gathered by these devices. Urban services and public safety can be improved by cities by protecting the data gathered by these devices.
e. Agriculture
Agriculture can use IoT devices for various purposes such as monitoring crop health, soil conditions, and weather patterns. Blockchain will increase the security of this data which will ensure the accuracy of the information used by farmers to make critical decisions. For example, AgriDigital uses blockchain to track the supply chain of agricultural products, providing farmers with verified data that can lead to better crop management and enhanced yield.
Top Platforms Combining Blockchain and IoT for Cybersecurity
1. IOTA
IOTA is an open-source distributed ledger which is specially designed for the security of IoT. It uses a directed acrylic graph for storing transactions on its ledger.
2. Vechain
Vechain is an IoT security system, specially designed for the improvement of the flow of supply chains and to improve business processes using distributed ledger technology.
3. Xage Security
Xage Security is a zero-trust access and protection technology that focuses on safeguarding IoT devices and apps. It provides a variety of security capabilities, including identity-based access control, data protection, and threat prevention, with a focus on securing assets across OT (Operational Technology), IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), IT, and the cloud.
4. HYPR
HYPR is a passwordless authentication system for higher security of connected devices. Instead of traditional passwords, it uses secure mobile-based authentication methods.
Wrapping Up
In this article, we have gone through all the major aspects of how blockchain-IoT integration can help in improving security. At A3Logics, we have extensive experience in building blockchain and IoT-based solutions and integration of IoT and blockchain for higher security. If you are looking for the best IoT development services, look no further than A3Logics.
