Identity and Access Management Resilience against Intentional Risk for Blockchain-Based IOT Platforms

Abstract

Some Internet of Things (IoT) platforms use blockchain to transport data. The value proposition of IoT is the connection to the Internet of a myriad of devices that provide and exchange data to improve people’s lives and add value to industries. The blockchain technology transfers data and value in an immutable and decentralised fashion. Security, composed of both non-intentional and intentional risk management, is a fundamental design requirement for both IoT and blockchain. We study how blockchain answers some of the IoT security requirements with a focus on intentional risk. The review of a sample of security incidents impacting public blockchains confirm that identity and access management (IAM) is a key security requirement to build resilience against intentional risk. This fact is also applicable to IoT solutions built on a blockchain. We compare the two IoT platforms based on public permissionless distributed ledgers with the highest market capitalisation: IOTA, run on an alternative to a blockchain, which is a directed acyclic graph (DAG); and IoTeX, its contender, built on a blockchain. Our objective is to discover how we can create IAM resilience against intentional risk in these IoT platforms. For that, we turn to complex network theory: a tool to describe and compare systems with many participants. We conclude that IoTeX and possibly IOTA transaction networks are scale-free. As both platforms are vulnerable to attacks, they require resilience against intentional risk. In the case of IoTeX, DIoTA provides a resilient IAM solution. Furthermore, we suggest that resilience against intentional risk requires an IAM concept that transcends a single blockchain. Only with the interplay of edge and global ledgers can we obtain data integrity in a multi-vendor and multi-purpose IoT network.

Visibility Graph Analysis of IOTA and IoTeX Price Series: An Intentional Risk-Based Strategy to Use 5G for IoT

“…IoT networks can benefit from the blockchain technology to answer their integrity, availability and, if required, transparency requirements [4,26]. The distributed nature of blockchain is an optimal design component for IoT implementations.…”

“…A relevant set of those projects will be using 5G mobile networks to allow for remote non-WiFi communications between sensors and edge and cloud servers. It enables the exchange of value between humans and machines [26]. IOTA is currently testing improvements to achieve a greater degree of decentralisation as it still requires the participation of a coordinator to validate transactions [26].…”

“…It enables the exchange of value between humans and machines [26]. IOTA is currently testing improvements to achieve a greater degree of decentralisation as it still requires the participation of a coordinator to validate transactions [26]. Energy, industrial communications and mobility are some of the fields where there are IOTA-based projects [36].…”

“…The rootchain is a public permissionless blockchain that uses a randomised delegated proof of stake (Roll-DPoS). There are different permissioned and permissionless subchains according to their functionality [26,37]. Home domotics [38] and mobile payments [39] are two areas with promising IoTeX projects.…”

“…The IoTex token started trading as an Ethereum-based token (ERC-20 IOTX token) in 2018. Table 3 presents a quick introductory summary of both IoT platforms: Blockchain technology brings additional security properties to the very high data transmission speed and the ultra low latency that 5G adds to IoT implementations, i.e., data integrity and non-repudiation [4,26,40]. Many blockchain-based IoT implementations can benefit from a reliable and fast 5G network, such as the use of IOTA in electric vehicle charging facilities [41] and IoTex in smart cities [42].…”