QIoTChain: Quantum IoT-blockchain fusion for advanced data protection in Industry 4.0

The modern world has its foundation built on data. Data is generated all the time, and many aspects of the society and economy are built upon it. In today's world, data is employed in better decision-making, innovation, and improving the efficiency of systems. It becomes essential to protect it from being tampered with or misused. Encryptions based on cryptographic systems are used in mainstream data protection these days. There have been newer iterations of mechanisms based on new techniques using blockchain and the zero trust model and even systems that employ fog computing along with content delivery networks. The advent of computation through quantum technologies also helped in developing data security with post-quantum mechanisms. The critical conditions for the working of these mechanisms hinder their adoption primarily. This also leads current systems to lack one or more of these technologies. Thus, the importance of a unified system that can employ quantum technologies effectively becomes prominent and requires a definitive investigation. In this article, a Quantum-IoT-based data protection scheme that can be of value to Industry 4.0 is analyzed. Light is also shed on innovations in quantum computing that can help solve not just current problems but also the future.