Smart Contract Privilege Checker for IoT Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
The main weakness of IoT devices, their network connectivity, makes them vulnerable to cyberattacks, as any computer with an account on the blockchain can execute functions of smart contracts, potentially allowing malicious modifications.
Innovation Solution
Implementing smart contracts with a privilege checker on edge computers paired with IoT devices, deployed in a blockchain, to ensure only the designated owner can initiate modifications, preventing unauthorized access and data manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If smart contracts are deployed in a blockchain to enable automated machine-to-machine communication for IoT devices, then productivity and automation are improved, but security and reliability deteriorate because any computer with an account can execute functions and potentially modify data maliciously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing role-based access control where different entities (owners, administrators, users) have different permission levels. The privilege checker examines the sender's role and applies appropriate access rules, allowing automated execution for authorized entities while blocking unauthorized modifications, thus resolving the contradiction between automation and security.
Solution Approach 2:
The privilege checker acts as an intermediary between message senders and smart contract function execution. It interceptors messages, verifies sender privileges against the designated owner, and either allows or blocks execution accordingly. This mediator layer enables automated communication while preventing malicious modifications by unauthorized parties.
2Ease of operation
If any computer can execute smart contract functions to enable decentralized automation, then ease of operation is improved, but security deteriorates due to vulnerability to cyberattacks and unauthorized modifications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary anti-action by pre-configuring the smart contract with a privilege checker and designated owner information before deployment. This preliminary security measure proactively prevents unauthorized executions by checking sender privileges before allowing any function execution, thus countering potential cyberattacks before they can succeed while maintaining decentralized access for authorized users.
3Device complexity
If smart contracts allow automated execution without privilege checks to maintain simplicity, then device complexity is reduced, but security deteriorates due to unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The privilege checker and owner designation are configured in advance during smart contract deployment, not during execution. This preliminary action embeds security rules into the contract's initial structure, allowing the contract to automatically enforce access control without adding complex runtime decision-making logic. The security mechanism becomes an inherent part of the contract's simple automated execution flow.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes Internet of things (IOT) devices that are paired with corresponding edge computers. Smart contracts are generated for edge computers, and deployed in a blockchain. Upon receipt of a message, a smart contract compares a sender of the message to a designated owner of the smart contract. The smart contract has a privilege checker that allows a message from the owner of the smart contract to initiate execution of a function that modifies a variable of the smart contract, but prevents messages from non-owners from initiating execution of the function.