Blockchain based authentication scheme for secure Internet of Things (IoT) data storage

The widespread adoption of IoT technology across various domains has introduced several challenges, particularly in the areas of authentication and data storage. This research paper presents a novel approach utilizing blockchain technology to address these challenges in the context of IoT. The proposed scheme introduces a hierarchical network structure comprising of base stations (BS), cluster heads (CHs), and remote sensors (RS) to ensure seamless communication between nodes. To tackle latency and throughput issues, a consortium blockchain is employed, with adaptive proof-of-work (PoW) and proof-of-authority (PoA) consensus mechanisms implemented at BS and CHs, respectively. The scheme incorporates multiple protocols including initialization, registration, authentication, node classification, trust computation, and revocation strategies to handle malicious nodes effectively. Smart contracts and a distributed hash table (DHT) are utilized to reduce certification delays and maintain crucial authentication data, trust values, and transaction history. Extensive simulation analysis is conducted to evaluate the proposed scheme, considering factors such as certification delay, accuracy in detecting malicious nodes, communication efficiency, and computation cost. Comparative assessments against existing schemes demonstrate the superior performance, efficiency, and effectiveness of the proposed scheme.