A Lightweight Cryptography and Blockchain-Based Framework for Secure IoT Communication

Abstract

The study suggested a secure communication framework, which is robust and scalable to Internet of Things (IoT) networks, based on lightweight cryptography, blockchain technology, and edge computing. IoT devices are resource-constrained in nature, and this implies that they require effective solutions that ensure the confidentiality, integrity, authentication and non-repudiation without affecting their performance. The architecture utilized lightweight encryption algorithm (ECC, SPECK and LEA) at the IoT nodes, permissioned blockchain to allow tamper-proof recording of transactions and smart contracts to allow access control, and Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) nodes to offload computation, minimizing latency and energy use. Large-scale simulations with NS-3, OMNeT++, and Cooja tested latency, energy efficiency, blockchain overhead, resilience in security, and scalability with a range of network loads. Findings showed that it was much better than traditional encryption-only and centralized PKI designs in terms of faster transaction (2030%), reduced energy usage (up to 50%), and increased security. The offered solution offers a viable solution to real-time, safe, and energy-efficient IoT communication and at the same time, tamper-proof audit trails.