Blockchain IoT Profile Sharing with Consensus Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
IoT devices often come with security and privacy vulnerabilities due to inadequate design, including weak encryption and lack of user awareness, posing risks in home and enterprise networks.
Innovation Solution
A blockchain-based system for sharing IoT device profile data, which generates and enforces access control rules through a consensus algorithm, ensuring secure communication and privacy by publishing IoT device data in a blockchain network among participants like manufacturers, security vendors, and ISPs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If IoT devices are deployed at scale with off-the-shelf manufacturing, then device availability and market penetration improve, but security and privacy vulnerabilities increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary security actions by generating access control rules and device profiles before IoT devices are deployed to networks. Security configurations, encryption settings, and access policies are established in advance during device onboarding, preventing security gaps from existing in the first place rather than reacting to vulnerabilities after deployment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary security system that acts as a mediator between device manufacturers and network operators. This intermediary generates and manages access control rules, device profiles, and security configurations, bridging the gap between mass-produced devices and secure network integration without requiring manufacturers to build security capabilities directly into each device
2Ease of operation
If end users are provided with detailed security and privacy information, then user awareness and security configuration improve, but system complexity and user burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically generating access control rules, device profiles, and security configurations without requiring user intervention. The security system autonomously performs profiling, rule generation, and configuration deployment, eliminating the need for users to understand or manually configure complex security parameters while still providing detailed security information where needed
3Reliability
If strong encryption and security mechanisms are implemented in IoT devices, then security and privacy protection improve, but device cost and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts security functionality from the IoT device itself and places it in an external security system. Instead of embedding complex encryption and security mechanisms within each device, the security functions are separated out and performed by a centralized system that generates access control rules and manages device profiles externally, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining strong security
Solution Approach 2:
The security system provides universal security services that can protect multiple different types of IoT devices through a single platform. Rather than requiring each device to have device-specific security implementations, the universal security system generates appropriate access control rules and configurations for various device types, reducing per-device manufacturing complexity while maintaining consistent security standards
Data Source
AI summary
Sharing IoT device (IoTd) profile data is provided, comprising: generating at least one access control rule to protect an IoTd; publishing first IoTd profile data in a first new block (FNB) of a blockchain of a blockchain network (BN), wherein the first IoTd profile data comprises the at least one access control rule; and committing the FNB to the blockchain based on a consensus algorithm by: a manufacturer of the IoTd committing the FNB to the blockchain; a security vendor (SV) participating in the BN committing the FNB to the blockchain when the SV is a sole SV participating in the BN; or the SV committing the FNB to the blockchain based on consensus among at least the SV and a plurality of security vendors when the SV and the plurality of security vendors are participating in the BN.