Fog Computing Security Concerns in Healthcare Using IoT and Blockchain
Ruchi Mittal, Shikha Gupta, Shefali Arora · 2025
Cloud computing plays a crucial role in addressing the challenges posed by the widespread adoption of IoT devices and the emergence of 5G wireless technologies. Initially developed to manage complex data in the IoT sector, cloud computing has found extensive application in healthcare, particularly in health monitoring, fitness programs, and remote medical assistance. Integrating IoT technologies in healthcare has reduced healthcare system burdens, lowered costs, and improved computational efficiency. Incorporating AI and fog computing has further transformed the healthcare sector, unlocking the full potential of IoT. With its ability to minimize latency and support real-time decision-making, edge computing is particularly pivotal in healthcare settings. AI-driven analytics offer predictive insights for early diagnosis and treatment recommendations. The connectivity between IoT devices and the cloud has highlighted significant considerations such as data volume, latency, bandwidth usage, response time, and security. Fog computing optimizes the performance of AI-driven healthcare applications by distributing data processing across devices. Additionally, the integration of blockchain addresses security concerns in healthcare applications. This chapter explores the security challenges associated with fog computing in healthcare, specifically within IoT and Blockchain integration. It scrutinizes available options in fog computing-based healthcare systems, providing a comprehensive analysis, classification, and discussion of implementation challenges. The chapter also examines edge-based healthcare systems, offering a thorough study, classification, and discussion of the obstacles associated with their application in healthcare. While the combined capabilities of IoT, AI, edge computing, and blockchain hold immense potential for revolutionizing healthcare, the chapter emphasizes the importance of careful consideration regarding security and privacy issues.