A Novel Blockchain-Based Encryption Model to Protect Fog Nodes
Ruchi Agrawal, Saurabh Singhal, Ashish Kumar Sharma · 2024
Utilizing blockchain along with fog computing to improve secure data access control mechanisms within the realm of distributed data storage and authentication poses various challenges. One such hurdle is finding a balance between decentralization and scalability within blockchain technology. As the blockchain ledger grows, it may lead to increased latency and resource requirements. The goal of this research is to combine blockchain with fog computing, along with an algorithm for hybrid encryption, to improve the security and efficiency of data access control in distributed data storage as well as authentication. Authentication mechanisms leverage Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Token-Based Authentication for heightened security. Token-Based Authentication employs dynamic codes generated by a physical or mobile token. Symmetric encryption ensures efficiency in data transmission, while asymmetric encryption provides secure key exchange Honey Encryption-based Hybrid Cryptographic Algorithm. The integration of the Zero Trust Security (ZTS) Model with Secure Multi-Party Computation (SMPC) enhances the security of data access and storage in distributed fog environments. Zero Trust emphasizes the necessity for continuous verification of user and device trustworthiness, irrespective of their location, reinforcing the principles of SMPC. MATLAB experiments were implemented to evaluate the efficacy of proposed mechanisms under a range of scenarios. Leveraging the platform’s computational capabilities, simulations were conducted and analyzed to provide a comprehensive performance assessment of the proposed solutions, thereby informing the design and optimization of these mechanisms. The findings for encryption time and decryption time of these metrics reflect the durations needed to encode and decode data of varying sizes securely. The potential for the blockchain along with the fog computing model to ensure secure data access control in the future depends on further developing interoperability standards and improving consensus mechanisms to increase scalability.