Blockchain-based Data Storage Security Architecture for e-Health Care Systems: A Case of Government of Tanzania Hospital Management Information System

A research article was published by IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.22 No.3, March 2022Health information systems (HIS) are facing security challenges on data privacy and confidentiality. These challenges are based on centralized system architecture creating a target for malicious attacks. Blockchain technology has emerged as a trending technology with the potential to improve data security. Despite the effectiveness of this technology, still HIS are suffering from a lack of data privacy and confidentiality. This paper presents a blockchain-based data storage security architecture integrated with an e-Health care system to improve its security. The study employed a qualitative research method where data were collected using interviews and document analysis. Execute-order-validate Fabric’s storage security architecture was implemented through private data collection, which is the combination of the actual private data stored in a private state, and a hash of that private data to guarantee data privacy. The key findings of this research show that data privacy and confidentiality are attained through a private data policy. Network peers are decentralized with blockchain only for hash storage to avoid storage challenges. Cost-effectiveness is achieved through data storage within a database of a Hyperledger Fabric. The overall performance of Fabric is higher than Ethereum. Ethereum’s low performance is due to its execute-validate architecture which has high computation power with transaction inconsistencies. E-Health care system administrators should be trained and engaged with blockchain architectural designs for health data storage security. Health policymakers should be aware of blockchain technology and make use of the findings. The scientific contribution of this study is based on; cost-effectiveness of secured data storage, the use of hashes of network data stored in each node, and low energy consumption of Fabric leading to high performanc

Application of blockchain technology in strengthening health information system security: a case study of Mount Meru referral hospital

A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements of the Award the Degree of Master of Science in Wireless and Mobile Computing of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyHealth information system (HIS) is a digital technology used in health care data management. Through literature review, it has been observed that HIS are facing security challenges. These challenges are based on centralized system architecture creating a target for malicious attacks. Despite of the effectiveness of this technology, still HIS are suffering from a lack of data privacy and confidentiality. This research developed a blockchain-based system integrated with the Government of Tanzania Hospital Management Information System. The study employed a qualitative research method where data were collected using interviews and document analysis. Execute-order-validate Fabric’s storage security architecture was implemented through private data collection. Privacy and confidentiality are attained through a private data policy. Network peers are decentralized with blockchain only for hash storage to avoid storage challenges. Cost-effectiveness is achieved through data storage within a database of a Hyperledger Fabric. The overall performance of Fabric is higher than Ethereum. Ethereum’s low performance is due to its execute-validate architecture which has high computation power with transaction inconsistencies. Health policymakers should be aware of blockchain technology and make use of the findings. The scientific contribution of this study is based on; the cost-effectiveness of secured data storage, the use of hashes of network data stored in each node, and low energy consumption of Fabric leading to high performance. The system is developed in an integrated data sharing architecture in a peer-to-peer, decentralized network environment. Data sharing and information exchange are maintained without central control, with improved security and privacy of the system

Enhancing Key Management in LoRaWAN with Permissioned Blockchain

Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) is one of the enabling technologies of the Internet of Things (IoT), and focuses on providing long distance connectivity for a vast amount of smart devices. Currently, LoRa is one of the leading LPWAN solutions available for public use. In LPWANs, especially in LoRa, security is a major concern due to the resource constraints of the devices, the sensitivity level of the transmitted data, the large amount of connected devices, among other reasons. This paper studies the key management mechanism of LoRaWAN environments. A secure architecture for key management based on smart contracts and permissioned blockchain to enhance security and availability in LoRaWAN networks is proposed. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed blockchain-based LoRaWAN architecture, a working prototype has been created using open-source tools and commodity hardware. Performance analysis shows that the prototype presents similar execution time and latency values, when compared to a traditional system, especially for small and medium-sized LoRaWAN networks. We also discuss why the proposed solution can be used in environments with a large number of end-devices