Abstract

Introduction

Related Work

Proposed Architecture and Mechanism

Security Analysis

Experimental Evaluation and Comparison

Conclusions

References

Abstract

     Internet of Things (IoT) device security is one of the crucial topics in the field of information security. IoT devices are often protected securely through firmware update. Traditional update methods have their shortcomings, such as bandwidth limitation and being attackers’ easy targets. Although many scholars proposed a variety of methods that are based on the blockchain technology to update the firmware, there are still demerits existing in their schemes, including large storage space and centralized stored firmware. In summary, this research proposes a highly secure and efficient protection mechanism that is based on the blockchain technology to improve the above disadvantages. Therefore, this study can reduce the need of storage space and improve system security. The proposed system has good performance in some events, including firmware integrity, security of IoT device connection, system security, and device anonymity. Furthermore, we confirm the high security and practical feasibility of the proposed system by comparing with the existing methods.

Introduction

     With the popularity of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, people’s lives are gradually inseparable from IoT devices. However, the increasing popularity of IoT devices has been accompanied by several challenges, including security and update service availability. In terms of security, IoT devices are mostly less secure than personal computers with many protection mechanisms, so they often become the target of hackers [1]. Recently, several serious IoT device attacks have occurred, such as many IoT devices that were controlled by hackers to launch attacks of distributed denial of service (DDoS) [2,3]. Moreover, due to the attack of unsafe ports, the company FCA US LLC (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles United States Limited Liability Company) urgently recalled products that were equipped with car networking systems [4]. On the other hand, hackers invaded medical devices to obtain patient personal data [5]. Therefore, the above events repeatedly reminded us of the importance of IoT device security

     According to “Strategy Analytics”, the number of IoT devices will exceed 50 billion after 2020 [6]. A huge number of IoT devices bring convenience to life, but users often forget the importance of information security, such as using default passwords, not regularly updating firmware, etc. Using IP camera as an example, hackers can see many monitor screens using the default password on the network [7], including many corporate offices and commercial warehouses on the screen in the world. As a result, the protection of IoT device security is a major issue.

Conclusions

     With the increasing number of IoT devices, more sophisticated security mechanisms are needed. This study is based on the Blockchain technology to achieve multi-node firmware verification , and therefore IoT device security can be accomplished.The contribution of this study are listed as follows:

     (۱) This research proposes a method of using a distributed database to reduce the storage space by storing firmware information on a ledger , instead of storing firmware itself.

     (۲) After downloading the firmware In the proposed system, the correctness and integrity of the obtained firmware of IoT devices can be ensured.

     (۳) IoT devices download the firmware through the download point of the distributed database, instead of going through the manufacturer.

     (۴) This study does not only reduce the burden of manufacturers’ servers, but also prevents the manufacturers from tampering the firmware after deploying it.