Blockchain based authentication scheme for secure Internet of Things (IoT) data storage

Blockchain based authentication scheme for secure Internet of Things (IoT) data storage | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Blockchain based authentication scheme for secure Internet of Things (IoT) data storage Amad Ahmad, Zahid Ullah Khan, Rahim Khan, Sher Taj, Sajid Ullah Khan, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5219539/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The widespread adoption of IoT technology across various domains has introduced several challenges, particularly in the areas of authentication and data storage. This research paper presents a novel approach utilizing blockchain technology to address these challenges in the context of IoT. The proposed scheme introduces a hierarchical network structure comprising of base stations (BS), cluster heads (CHs), and remote sensors (RS) to ensure seamless communication between nodes. To tackle latency and throughput issues, a consortium blockchain is employed, with adaptive proof-of-work (PoW) and proof-of-authority (PoA) consensus mechanisms implemented at BS and CHs, respectively. The scheme incorporates multiple protocols including initialization, registration, authentication, node classification, trust computation, and revocation strategies to handle malicious nodes effectively. Smart contracts and a distributed hash table (DHT) are utilized to reduce certification delays and maintain crucial authentication data, trust values, and transaction history. Extensive simulation analysis is conducted to evaluate the proposed scheme, considering factors such as certification delay, accuracy in detecting malicious nodes, communication efficiency, and computation cost. Comparative assessments against existing schemes demonstrate the superior performance, efficiency, and effectiveness of the proposed scheme. Physical sciences/Mathematics and computing/Computational science Physical sciences/Mathematics and computing/Computer science Physical sciences/Mathematics and computing/Information technology IoT Remote Sensors Distribute Hash Table Base Station Proof of Authority Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files AuthorshipChangedformfilled1.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5219539","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":448952337,"identity":"4becbf02-6f83-4d9b-8005-44e738c3d68c","order_by":0,"name":"Amad Ahmad","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"COMSATS University Islamabad","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Amad","middleName":"","lastName":"Ahmad","suffix":""},{"id":448952338,"identity":"b4eab4e3-b16b-4f63-8b7d-662b78986f24","order_by":1,"name":"Zahid Ullah Khan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Harbin Engineering 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This research paper presents a novel approach utilizing blockchain technology to address these challenges in the context of IoT. The proposed scheme introduces a hierarchical network structure comprising of base stations (BS), cluster heads (CHs), and remote sensors (RS) to ensure seamless communication between nodes. To tackle latency and throughput issues, a consortium blockchain is employed, with adaptive proof-of-work (PoW) and proof-of-authority (PoA) consensus mechanisms implemented at BS and CHs, respectively. The scheme incorporates multiple protocols including initialization, registration, authentication, node classification, trust computation, and revocation strategies to handle malicious nodes effectively. Smart contracts and a distributed hash table (DHT) are utilized to reduce certification delays and maintain crucial authentication data, trust values, and transaction history. Extensive simulation analysis is conducted to evaluate the proposed scheme, considering factors such as certification delay, accuracy in detecting malicious nodes, communication efficiency, and computation cost. 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