The IoT is the Internet of Things, a network of interconnected computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, or people with unique identifiers (UIDs) and the ability to transfer data over a network without the requirement for human-to-human or human-to-computer dealings.
A thing in the IoT can be a person implanted with a heart monitor, a car with built-in sensors to alert the driver when tire pressure is low, or any other natural or artificial object that can be assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address and can transfer data over a network. Having a blockchain development company is very vital to the development of business and running of organizations. Especially in an internet dependent environment,
Organizations in various industries are increasingly utilizing IoT to function more effectively, better understand customers to deliver better customer service, enhance decision-making, and boost the value of the business.
Why do IoT networks require a blockchain?
IoT is making a significant impact in bringing all of the world's gadgets and things together and connecting them to the internet in today's age of rapid technological transformation. The driving force behind the success of IoT is all of the transaction-oriented information associated with it. Because information is the key to IoT, its security is critical.
Any violation of information or data theft not only causes the gadgets associated with IoT to fail, but it can also represent a danger to life or assets. Consequently, there is a need to secure IoT by ensuring accurate data and information security.
Presently, to ensure the reliability of IoT data, all the information is gathered in a single place, resulting in a single point of security intelligence and, consequently, a single point of failure, which is extremely dangerous.
A decentralized method to IoT networking has the prospect to eradicate the single point of failure in decision-making by allowing IoT device networks to create an effective security mechanism through which these devices can be allowed to form consensus for identifying what is expected within a given network and thus isolating any nodes over a blockchain that behave unusually. Furthermore, Blockchain can build trust in IoT data by facilitating digital security primitives such as availability, responsibility, confidentiality and integrity.
How to use Blockchain to secure IoT?
We can Utilize Blockchain to secure IoT devices
The Internet of Things (IoT) operates on a distributed client/server model, which necessitates using a network administrator to manage the network. Talking about IoTcybersecurity, the weak point is centralized authority. IoT devices depend on this authority to confine how they function usually.
If the central authority's security is breached, the information sent by the devices is mainly at the compassion of hackers. Because one can collect large amounts of data in one go, cyber hackers find attacking the central authority very appealing.
Due to the decentralized nature of blockchain technology, hackers would have to specifically target nodes on the network to obtain the data they desire. The smart devices in a blockchain network can actively participate in transaction validation.
It means the network could protect itself from a hack by checking for any deviations from predetermined "acceptable" behaviour. Once a device on the network has been identified as misbehaving, it can be isolated to prevent it from accessing more sensitive data or being used to unlock a person's home, among other things.
Avoid Physical Theft
The use of Blockchain to secure IoT deployments would also aid in preventing smart device theft. A smart device that is either reported as stolen to the IoTblockchain network could be quarantined, and its critical data be conveyed to the police and owners, etc.
Without mandating the intervention of a third party, information like the present location of the smart device and even confidential pictures of the operator could be sent automatically to the nearest police officers.
The device's unique manufacturing number could be automatically shared with organizations like the operating system provider and other application platforms, letting them blocklist the device. It would end the existing situation of fraudsters simply performing a factory reset and using the device for themselves.
Make an IoT environment that is trustworthy
To gain access to a blockchain ledger, users must enter a unique key code that means that accountability is built into all interactions/transactions.
Users must sign any modifications and thus can be traced back to the person who made them. The network will prevent any unauthorized changes because none of the other nodes connected to the network will accept the change.
In the public realm, schools or universities might use such a blockchain-based IoT system to ensure students were in class at specific times and even doing their homework. Because it could include parents in the school blockchain, they can view their children's progress through an authorized smart app.
Teachers' ability to leave responses and report any misdoings would enable parents to motivate and reward their children in real-time. This system could also spell the end of those gloomy parent evenings that students, parents, and teachers all dislike.
The Difficulties of Creating Blockchain-Based IoT Networks
Various technical challenges arise when developing blockchain-based IoT solutions, and here are some of them:
. Storage capacity and scalability issues
Blockchain storage capacity and scalability have been heavily interrogated. The chain in this technology is constantly growing, and copies are stored among network nodes. Although only full nodes (nodes that can fully validate transactions and blocks) store the entire chain, the storage requirements are substantial. As nodes grow in size, they require more resources, reducing their capacity scale. Furthermore, a large chain harms performance by increasing synchronization time for new users.
. Security issues
The Bitcoin protocol has been thoroughly examined, and several security vulnerabilities and threats have been identified. The 51 per cent attack, also known as the majority attack, is the most common type of attack and is possible if a blockchain participant controls more than 51 per cent of the mining power. In this situation, they have control over the network's consensus. The rapid growth and evolution of mining pools have increased the likelihood of this attack occurring, which could threaten Bitcoin's integrity.
While another difficulty one can find is weak data encryption. Encryption is a fundamental component of blockchain technology and a critical component of data security. Regrettably, IoT devices do not interact with users to generate reliable cryptography.
. Legal issues
It is not easy to incorporate regulations and compliance into transaction implementation. Enterprise-grade blockchain implementations will face many policy and legal issues — some of these structures have hundreds of years of precedent, while others are virtually uncharted territory. The absence of clarity of monetary regulations and policy associated with digital or cryptocurrencies is one of the most significant of these impediments. Although certain countries and regulatory regimes are leaning into — or out of — the blockchain market, the IoT space is already clouded by legal uncertainties in data ownership, privacy, access, and other areas.
. Interoperability
The potential to safely and accurately interconnect multiple networks in the IoT world is challenging. Even though Blockchain is not a data integration tool, distributed ledgers are built to provide shared data visibility. However, in the blockchain world, interoperability takes on new complexities, such as integrating public & private blockchains, integrating multiple open-source platforms, integrating existing devices, systems & data sets, and more.
Customization requirements can further break up the technology's capability to coexist with other architectures and counterparties. Despite being a central goal of many joint ventures, standardization lacks at most stack layers, let alone at the process level or across sectors or geographies.
Conclusion
Core blockchain technologies can improve IoT networks' performance and security by enabling data integrity, decentralisation, and smart contracts. Blockchain development solutions and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are constantly evolving, solving old problems and introducing new ones. Their convergence brings several issues, including limited IoT resources, scalability issues, and weak data encryption, which developers should consider.
About the author: Rachita Nayar
Rachita Nayar is a professional writer. She has a penchant for writing and is involved in many projects throughout the world. Currently, she works with a blockchain, AI, and IoT development company that allows her to explore the domain and hone her skills further by learning about blockchain and spreading the knowledge.
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