An Enhanced Cybersecurity Strategies for Internet of Things using Lightweight Blockchain-Based Secure Communication Protocol
Jacobeth Makhahlela, Giresse M. Komba, Solly P. Maswikaneng · 2024
This paper investigates cybersecurity strategies for Internet of Things (IoT) and propose an innovative solution to address the limitations of existing approaches which are the inability to protect the integrity, confidentiality and authenticity of information during an attack. The importance of enhancing cybersecurity strategies for IoT will be examined, given its substantial influence on safeguarding IoT networks. The rapid expansion of IoT has brought about significant advancements in automation, data collection, and connectivity. However, this growth has also introduced substantial security challenges, as IoT devices are often resource-constrained and susceptible to various cyber threats. The research aims to bridge the gap in current knowledge by proposing a Lightweight BlockchainBased Secure Communication Protocol (LBSCP) for enhancing IoT security. LBSCP integrates lightweight encryption and blockchain technology to create a comprehensive and robust security solution tailored for IoT ecosystems. By leveraging these technologies, LBSCP ensures data confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity while minimizing resource usage on IoT devices, thus addressing the unique constraints of IoT devices. The research methodology will involve conducting simulations to evaluate the performance of the LBSCP approach. The results of the simulations will provide empirical evidence of the effectiveness of the LBSCP approach in improving the protocol's decentralized nature, enabled by blockchain, further enhancing security by eliminating single points of failure and providing a tamper-proof transaction history. The findings of this research demonstrate the efficacy of LBSCP in safeguarding IoT networks, ensuring reliable and secure communication across diverse and expanding IoT environments.