A lightweight scalable hybrid authentication framework for Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) using blockchain hyperledger consortium network with edge computing

Abstract

Abstract The Internet of Things (IoMT) has revolutionized the global landscape by enabling the hierarchy of interconnectivity between medical devices, sensors, and healthcare applications. Significant limitations in terms of scalability, privacy, and security are associated with this connection. This study presents a scalable, lightweight hybrid authentication system that integrates blockchain and edge computing within a Hyperledger Consortium network to address such real-time problems, particularly the use of Hyperledger Indy. For secure authentication, Hyperledger ensures a permissioned, decentralized, and impenetrable environment, while edge computing lowers latency by processing data closer to IoMT devices. The proposed framework balances security and computing performance by utilizing a hybrid cryptographic technique, like NuCypher Threshold Proxy Re-Encryption. Applicational activities are now appropriate for IoMT devices with limited resources thanks to this integration. By facilitating cooperation between numerous stakeholders with restricted access, the consortium network improves scalability and data governance. Comparing the proposed framework to the state-of-the-art techniques, experimental evaluation shows that it reduces latency by 2.93% and increases authentication efficiency by 98.33%. Therefore, in contrast to current solutions, guarantee data integrity and transparency between patients, consultants, and hospitals. The development of dependable, scalable, and secure IoMT applications is facilitated by this work, enabling next-generation medical applications.

Keywords

• Blockchain
• Hyperledger technology
• Edge computing
• Cloud computing
• Lightweight consensus
• Scalable hybrid authentication