Post-quantum blockchain for internet of things domain

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonIn the evolving realm of quantum computing, emerging advancements reveal substantial challenges and threats to existing cryptographic infrastructures, particularly impacting blockchain technologies. These are pivotal for securing the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems. The traditional blockchain structures, integral to myriad IoT applications, are susceptible to potential quantum computations, emphasizing an urgent need for innovations in post-quantum blockchain solutions to reinforce security in the expansive domain of IoT. This PhD thesis delves into the crucial exploration and meticulous examination of the development and implementation of post-quantum blockchain within the IoT landscape, focusing on the incorporation of advanced post-quantum cryptographic algorithms in Hyperledger Fabric, a forefront blockchain platform renowned for its versatility and robustness. The primary aim is to discern viable post-quantum cryptographic solutions capable of fortifying blockchain systems against impending quantum threats enhancing security and reliability in IoT applications. The research comprehensively evaluates various post-quantum public-key generation and digital signature algorithms, performing detailed analyses of their computational time and memory usage to identify optimal candidates. Furthermore, the thesis proposes an innovative lattice-based digital signature scheme Fast-Fourier Lattice-based Compact Signature over NTRU (Falcon), which leverages the Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) algorithm as a trapdoor sampler to augment its security attributes. The research introduces a post-quantum version of the Hyperledger Fabric blockchain that integrates post-quantum signatures. The system utilizes the Open Quantum Safe (OQS) library, rigorously tested against NIST round 3 candidates for optimal performance. The study highlights the capability to manage IoT data securely on the post-quantum Hyperledger Fabric blockchain through the Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol. Such a configuration ensures safe data transfer from IoT sensors directly to the blockchain nodes, securing the processing and recording of sensor data within the node ledger. The research addresses the multifaceted challenges of quantum computing advancements and significantly contributes to establishing secure, efficient, and resilient post-quantum blockchain infrastructures tailored explicitly for the IoT domain. These findings are instrumental in elevating the security paradigms of IoT systems against quantum vulnerabilities and catalysing innovations in post-quantum cryptography and blockchain technologies. Furthermore, this thesis introduces strategies for the optimization of performance and scalability of post-quantum blockchain solutions and explores alternative, energy-efficient consensus mechanisms such as the Raft and Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP), providing sustainable alternatives to the conventional Proof-of-Work (PoW) approach. A critical insight emphasized throughout this thesis is the imperative of synergistic collaboration among academia, industry, and regulatory bodies. This collaboration is pivotal to expedite the adoption and standardization of post-quantum blockchain solutions, fostering the development of interoperable and standardized technologies enriched with robust security and privacy frameworks for end users. In conclusion, this thesis furnishes profound insights and substantial contributions to implementing post-quantum blockchain in the IoT domain. It delineates original contributions to the knowledge and practices in the field, offering practical solutions and advancing the state-of-the-art in post-quantum cryptography and blockchain research, thereby paving the way for a secure and resilient future for interconnected IoT systems

The integrity of digital technologies in the evolving characteristics of real-time enterprise architecture

Advancements in interactive and responsive enterprises involve real-time access to the information and capabilities of emerging technologies. Digital technologies (DTs) are emerging technologies that provide end-to-end business processes (BPs), engage a diversified set of real-time enterprise (RTE) participants, and institutes interactive DT services. This thesis offers a selection of the author’s work over the last decade that addresses the real-time access to changing characteristics of information and integration of DTs. They are critical for RTEs to run a competitive business and respond to a dynamic marketplace. The primary contributions of this work are listed below. • Performed an intense investigation to illustrate the challenges of the RTE during the advancement of DTs and corresponding business operations. • Constituted a practical approach to continuously evolve the RTEs and measure the impact of DTs by developing, instrumenting, and inferring the standardized RTE architecture and DTs. • Established the RTE operational governance framework and instituted it to provide structure, oversight responsibilities, features, and interdependencies of business operations. • Formulated the incremental risk (IR) modeling framework to identify and correlate the evolving risks of the RTEs during the deployment of DT services. • DT service classifications scheme is derived based on BPs, BP activities, DT’s paradigms, RTE processes, and RTE policies. • Identified and assessed the evaluation paradigms of the RTEs to measure the progress of the RTE architecture based on the DT service classifications. The starting point was the author’s experience with evolving aspects of DTs that are disrupting industries and consequently impacting the sustainability of the RTE. The initial publications emphasized innovative characteristics of DTs and lack of standardization, indicating the impact and adaptation of DTs are questionable for the RTEs. The publications are focused on developing different elements of RTE architecture. Each published work concerns the creation of an RTE architecture framework fit to the purpose of business operations in association with the DT services and associated capabilities. The RTE operational governance framework and incremental risk methodology presented in subsequent publications ensure the continuous evolution of RTE in advancements of DTs. Eventually, each publication presents the evaluation paradigms based on the identified scheme of DT service classification to measure the success of RTE architecture or corresponding elements of the RTE architecture

Demystifying Quantum Blockchain for Healthcare

The application of blockchain technology can be beneficial in the field of healthcare as well as in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. In this work, the importance of blockchain is analyzed and it is observed that blockchain technology and the processes associated with it will be utilised in the healthcare systems of the future for data acquisition from sensors, automatic patient monitoring, and secure data storage. This technology substantially simplifies the process of carrying out operations because it can store a substantial quantity of data in a dispersed and secure manner, as well as enable access whenever and wherever it is required to do so. With the assistance of quantum blockchain, the benefits of quantum computing, such as the capability to acquire thermal imaging based on quantum computing and the speed with which patients may be located and monitored, can all be exploited to their full potential. Quantum blockchain is another tool that can be utilised to maintain the confidentiality, authenticity, and accessibility of data records. The processing of medical records could potentially benefit from greater speed and privacy if it combines quantum computing and blockchain technology. The authors of this paper investigate the possible benefits and applications of blockchain and quantum technologies in the field of medicine, pharmacy and healthcare systems. In this context, this work explored and compared quantum technologies and blockchain-based technologies in conjunction with other cutting-edge information and communications technologies such as ratification intelligence, machine learning, drones, and so on

Exploring the Integration of Blockchain in IoT Use Cases: Challenges and Opportunities

Blockchain and The Internet of Things (IoT) is a significant paradigm which has gained traction in today’s digital age as two complimentary technologies. The combination of IoT\u27s connectivity with blockchain\u27s security creates new opportunities and solves problems associated with centralized systems. This culminating project aims to delve deeper into the integration of blockchain technology in IoT applications based on select use cases to uncover potential benefits and significant challenges of blockchain integration across different sectors. The research objectives to be addressed are: (RO1) How emerging vulnerabilities manifest in the implementation of blockchain within current IoT ecosystems. (RO2) How current opportunities and challenges are influencing the successful integration of blockchain in IoT ecosystems. The findings from the case studies are: (RO1) Significant vulnerabilities exist within core blockchain features such as smart contracts which could lead to cascading failures and widespread system disruption within an IoT ecosystem. Additionally, difficulty in quickly patching smart contract vulnerabilities due to blockchain immutability further exacerbates this risk. (RO2) The successful integration of blockchain in IoT has the potential to provide enhanced trust, performance and security however significant bottlenecks such as interoperability challenges between various IoT devices and blockchain protocols, effective consensus mechanisms suited for resource constrained IoT devices and scalability challenges must be navigated to achieve a seamless integration of the technologies The conclusions are: (RO1) IoT-blockchain convergence introduces new potential attack vectors that must be analyzed and secured, especially at the intersection of resource-constrained IoT devices and computationally intensive blockchain protocols. (RO2) Blockchain integration in IoT requires specific considerations related to the heterogenous nature of IoT devices, resource limitations for traditional IoT ecosystems, scalability of blockchain solutions in the diverse nature of IoT ecosystems and standardization and compatibility of different blockchain platforms across IoT applications. Areas of further study include researching minimum security requirements in software development of IoT devices which can support complex computational requirements needed for successful integration of blockchain in IoT applications and improving blockchain security against quantum attacks. Public-key cryptography, a cornerstone of blockchain security, is particularly susceptible to such threats

A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW OF RANSOMWARE ATTACKS IN HEALTHCARE

This culminating experience project conducted a Systematic Literature Review of ransomware in the healthcare industry. Due to COVID-19, there has been an increase in ransomware attacks that took healthcare by surprise. Although ransomware is a common attack, the current healthcare infrastructure and security mechanisms could not suppress these attacks. This project identifies peer-viewed literature to answer these research questions: “What current ransomware attacks are used in healthcare systems? “What ransomware attacks are likely to appear in the future?” and “What solutions or methods have been used to prepare, prevent, and recover from these attacks?” The purpose of this research is to identify a possible increasing trend of seeing ransomware in the future and to see what technologies are used to combat these attacks. The findings focus on three solutions, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and blockchain as there can be many solutions that could have been included. Because the healthcare industry has many different types of systems involved, limitations of the research are solutions suggested being other studies may not work with other studies. For future studies, indicating a specific type of healthcare organization may be recommended and will have better results

Factors driving enterprise adoption of blockchain technology

Amidst the rapidly evolving advancement of blockchain technology (BT), enterprises face notable challenges in leveraging its transformative potential, starting with a need to understand the technology and how it can be used for particular applications. Two challenges are that many BT trials have not been successful and large-scale implementations that have led to continued use are scarce. This research provides a comprehensive examination of factors that drive the successful adoption of BT for enterprise use cases. A dual-phased approach was employed. First, I introduce a taxonomy matrix correlating BT design characteristics with use case characteristics, offering a framework for BT design and benefits across different enterprise contexts. Second, I conducted case studies of five successful BT cases in large enterprises that led to the adoption in terms of continued use and contrasted them with one failure case. The data collection and analysis of the case studies encompassed technological, organizational, environmental, and inter-organizational variables that led to BT\u27s continued use. The cross-case analysis revealed that compatibility, relative advantage, and observability are primary technological factors contributing to continued use. Within the organizational dimension, organizational knowledge and internal characteristics emerged as crucial elements, while regulatory compliance came out to be a significant factor. Based on the cross-case analysis, I develop theoretical propositions about the factors that lead to the continued use of BT, which can be further validated and tested in future research

Industry 4.0 Technology: A Cross-Industry View of Adoption, Usage and COVID-19 Effects

Industry 4.0 technology (I4.0) is inescapable. It transforms the way businesses and customers interact and revolutionizes how organizations produce goods and services (SAP Insights, 2020). It requires a level of agility that many organizations do not possess. Defending against disruptive business models is no longer enough. Organizations must be nimble to optimize assets and resources in response to adversity. In March 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic ushered a devastating blow to the U.S. economy and job market with pervasive shocks that continue to be a business threat. In response, many organizations are accelerating automation, digitization, and communication capabilities to close the gap and connect with customers. This dissertation examined the cross-industry adoption of the nine most common Industry 4.0 technologies: big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, the internet of things, cybersecurity, 3-D printing, autonomous technology, augmented reality, and blockchain. This descriptive study explored factors of I4.0 adoption across industries and organizational sizes during a national pandemic. The study sought to reveal “what” factors contributed to the adoption of Industry 4.0, “what” industry patterns exist, “what” effect COVID-19 had on these concepts. A quantitative method was used to examine the relationship between factors. An online survey was administered to a Qualtrics panel of 520 business owners and executives to capture perceptions, knowledge, and insights. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed. The results of this study inform a cross-industry framework of I4.0 technology adoption, which includes contributing factors. The findings also showed COVID-19 was less an accelerant of adoption but rather, the industry sector was a greater influencer

An Analytic and Systemic View of the Digital Transformation of Healthcare

Industry 4.0 represents a digital revolution that is driven by technologies that blur the lines between the physical and digital worlds. Industry 4.0, the latest industrial revolution, is poised to have a profound impact on all aspects of society. In order to understand how the healthcare industry is being transformed by the convergence of the physical and digital realms, a systems perspective is taken in this study. Two research questions are addressed regarding the opportunities and interventions that can be provided by both analytical and systems conceptions of digital transformation. I use a systemic literature review approach to address the research questions. A sample of studies between 2000 and 2022 is analyzed. Existing studies mostly examine the effects of new digital technologies on healthcare providers. However, digital transformation also presents significant challenges, such as data privacy, ethical concerns related to AI-based automated decision-making, and equity issues related to e-health. Solutions to major challenges at both micro and macro levels can be derived from the existing theories and tools of systems thinking. For instance, systems thinking\u27s continuous learning and adaptation capabilities can be useful for healthcare organizations to develop the required digital capabilities. Furthermore, the interconnectedness of subsystems and stakeholders in systems thinking can be combined with digital twin technology to investigate the dynamic interactions among key stakeholders, leading to the development of new regulatory policies

The roadmap to healthcare digitalization: factors that affect the Portuguese approach to ehealth

Healthcare systems worldwide need to improve health outcomes while reducing costs. Increasing demand for chronic disease management, such as pulmonary disease, is driving digital transformation in healthcare. The Kata® inhalation app aims to improve patients' inhalation techniques through a data-based algorithm. This study aims to classify Portugal’s proneness to healthcare digitalization. Specifically, it investigates to which extent Portugal is lagging compared to digital pioneers and how it can keep up with advancements in a rapidly evolving technological world. The results suggest that Portugal is a positive example of eHealth but its main challenges are patients’ low digital trust and inoperability across infrastructures and health subsystems