[Paper Review] Anti-Tamper Protection for Internet of Things System Using Hyperledger Fabric Blockchain Technology

Adnan Iftekhar, Xiaohui Cui|arXiv (Cornell University)|Sep 15, 2021

Blockchain Technology Applications and Security16 references4 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes a decentralized, blockchain-based access control system for IoT devices using Hyperledger Fabric, enabling IoT nodes to act as native blockchain peers. By deploying lightweight blockchain nodes on Raspberry Pi 4 devices, the system ensures data integrity, privacy, and tamper-proof access control without relying on centralized authorities, demonstrating a scalable and secure IoT-Blockchain integration framework.

ABSTRACT

Automated and industrial Internet of Things (IoT) devices are increasing daily. As the number of IoT devices grows, the volume of data generated by them will also grow. Managing these rapidly expanding IoT devices and enormous data efficiently to be available to all authorized users without compromising its integrity will become essential in the near future. On the other side, many information security incidents have been recorded, increasing the requirement for countermeasures. While safeguards against hostile third parties have been commonplace until now, operators and parties have seen an increase in demand for data falsification detection and blocking. Blockchain technology is well-known for its privacy, immutability, and decentralized nature. Single-board computers are becoming more powerful while also becoming more affordable as IoT platforms. These single-board computers are gaining traction in the automation industry. This study focuses on a paradigm of IoT-Blockchain integration where the blockchain node runs autonomously on the IoT platform itself. It enables the system to conduct machine-to-machine transactions without the intervention of a person and to exert direct access control over IoT devices. This paper assumed that the readers are familiar with Hyperledger Fabric basic operations and focus on the practical approach of integration. A basic introduction is provided for the newbie on the blockchain.

Motivation & Objective

• To address growing security and privacy concerns in centralized IoT architectures.
• To enable machine-to-machine transactions and direct access control in IoT systems without human intervention.
• To implement a decentralized, tamper-resistant access control model using blockchain on resource-constrained IoT devices.
• To evaluate the feasibility of running full blockchain nodes on low-power IoT platforms like Raspberry Pi 4.
• To enhance data integrity, privacy, and governance in IoT systems through blockchain-based consensus and policy enforcement.

Proposed method

• Deploying Hyperledger Fabric blockchain nodes directly on IoT devices such as Raspberry Pi 4 to enable peer-to-peer transaction processing.
• Using consortium-based policies in Hyperledger Fabric to define fine-grained access control for chaincode execution.
• Implementing chaincode endorsement policies to require approval from specific authorized peers before transaction validation.
• Leveraging the Hyperledger Fabric client identification library to enforce role-based access to chaincode, enhancing data privacy.
• Storing and validating IoT data directly on the blockchain to ensure immutability and end-to-end data integrity.
• Designing a permissioned blockchain network where IoT devices act as native nodes, eliminating reliance on cloud or edge servers for data storage and validation.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How can blockchain technology be integrated into IoT systems to prevent data tampering and unauthorized access?
• RQ2 Can lightweight IoT devices such as Raspberry Pi 4 function as full blockchain nodes to support decentralized consensus and access control?
• RQ3 What role does a consortium-based policy model play in securing IoT device interactions within a blockchain network?
• RQ4 How does direct blockchain integration on IoT devices improve data integrity and reduce reliance on centralized infrastructure?
• RQ5 What are the practical limitations and trade-offs of deploying blockchain nodes on resource-constrained IoT platforms?

Key findings

• The proposed system successfully deployed a Hyperledger Fabric blockchain node on a Raspberry Pi 4, demonstrating feasibility of running full blockchain nodes on low-power IoT devices.
• The integration enabled direct, decentralized access control over IoT devices through chaincode policies, ensuring only authorized entities could execute operations.
• Data integrity was preserved through cryptographic hashing and immutability of the blockchain ledger, preventing unauthorized modifications.
• The consortium-based policy model allowed fine-grained control, restricting chaincode execution to specific organizations and users, enhancing data privacy.
• The system reduced reliance on centralized cloud or edge servers, improving resilience and reducing attack surface in IoT deployments.
• The prototype showed that IoT devices can act as autonomous blockchain nodes, enabling machine-to-machine transactions without human intervention.