How BlockChain Can Help Enhance The Security And Privacy in Edge Computing?

Abstract

In order to solve security and privacy issues of centralized cloud services, the edge computing network is introduced, where computing and storage resources are distributed to the edge of the network. However, native edge computing is subject to the limited performance of edge devices, which causes challenges in data authorization, data encryption, user privacy, and other fields. Blockchain is currently the hottest technology for distributed networks. It solves the consistent issue of distributed data and is used in many areas, such as cryptocurrency, smart grid, and the Internet of Things. Our work discussed the security and privacy challenges of edge computing networks. From the perspectives of data authorization, encryption, and user privacy, we analyze the solutions brought by blockchain technology to edge computing networks. In this work, we deeply present the benefits from the integration of the edge computing network and blockchain technology, which effectively controls the data authorization and data encryption of the edge network and enhances the architecture's scalability under the premise of ensuring security and privacy. Finally, we investigate challenges on storage, workload, and latency for future research in this field.