Secure Firmware Update Architecture for IoT Devices using Blockchain and PUF
Himanshu N. Joshi, Anshu S. Anand, J. Kokila · 2023
The utilization of embedded devices within the Internet of Things (IoT) landscape is projected to become increasingly widespread. These compact IoT devices operate autonomously and interact with one another seamlessly, necessitating robust security measures to safeguard their operations from potential attacks. This paper addresses the security implications of updating firmware on embedded devices within an IoT environment. To tackle this challenge, a firmware update architecture is proposed that combines blockchain technology and Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) to establish a secure framework for verifying firmware versions, validating firmware integrity, and facilitating the download of the most recent firmware binaries onto embedded devices. If the firmware is outdated, the device is first authenticated by utilizing PuF’s Challenge-Response Pairs (CRPs). Subsequently, the device initiates a firmware update request within a blockchain network and awaits a response to determine the availability of its firmware version. If available, the new version is then downloaded and updated. This scheme establishes a robust framework that guarantees upto-date versions of embedded device firmware while mitigating potential attacks targeting known firmware vulnerabilities within embedded devices.