Public-Key Reinforced Blockchain Platform for Fog-IoT Network System Administration

The number of embedded devices that connect to a wireless network has been growing for the past decade. This interaction creates a network of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices where data travel continuously. With the increase of devices and the need for the network to extend via fog computing, we have fog-based IoT networks. However, with more endpoints introduced to it, the network becomes open to malicious attackers. This work attempts to protect fog-based IoT networks by creating a platform that secures the endpoints through public-key encryption. The servers are allowed to mask the data packets shared within the network. To be able to track all of the encryption processes, we incorporated the use of permissioned blockchains. This technology completes the security layer by providing an immutable and automated data structure to function as a hyper ledger for the network. Each data transaction incorporates a handshake mechanism with the use of a public-key pair. This design guarantees that only devices that have proper access through the keys can use the network. Hence, management is made convenient and secure. The implementation of this platform is through a wireless server-client architecture to simulate the data transactions between devices. The conducted qualitative tests provide an in-depth feasibility investigation on the network's levels of security. The results show the validity of the design as a means of fortifying the network against endpoint attacks.

Automated summary

The number of embedded devices connecting to wireless networks has increased, leading to the need for secure fog-based IoT networks. This study proposes a platform that uses public-key encryption and permissioned blockchains to protect network endpoints and track encryption processes, ultimately fortifying the network against malicious attacks.