A secure authorization in multi-WSN based on Blockchain_SecAuth approach for secure data communication

Abstract

In a wireless sensor network (WSN), data are transferred such that only intentional entities are capable of decoding and understanding them. Security is essential in the design of any data and processing-intensive schemes. Researchers have designed various models as well as security systems for providing secure data communications. Most of the developed schemes have individual nuances, benefits, and shortcomings that make choosing a superior security scheme highly challenging for model designers. In blockchain technology, secret sharing methods enhance the security performance of a system. Here, the Blockchain_SecAuth approach is presented for secure data communication in multi-WSNs. The entities of interest are base station (BS), cluster head (CH) nodes, end users, blockchain, and ordinary nodes. The phases involved are setup, CH and node registration, key generation, mutual authentication among nodes as well as among nodes and end users, authorization, access control, communication, and node logout. The designed authorization approach is based upon security functions, namely, hashing operation, encryption, X-OR function, and so forth. Moreover, the Blockchain_SecAuth approach attained minimal computation time and memory of approximately 0.463 s and 20.552 GHz, respectively, and a maximal detection rate of 87.641 %. The proposed method is useful in environmental monitoring, smart agriculture, healthcare, smart cities, and industrial automation.