A consortium blockchain-edge enabled authentication scheme for underwater acoustic network (UAN)

The Internet of Things (IoT) allows for automated operations in diverse fields, such as agriculture monitoring, pollution monitoring, health care, and underwater monitoring. The Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) observes the underwater environment, assists in exploration, mitigates disasters, and monitors some factors including temperature, pressure, and pollution. The IoUT relies on a network of intelligent underwater sensors that send data to surface base stations and IoT devices for storage and analysis. Nevertheless, these systems face security risks as they operate in unattended environments. Many authentication methods depend on a centralized third party, leading to higher computation costs and energy usage. To mitigate security risks, autonomous underwater devices need secure connections and authentication. This paper suggests a decentralized authentication mechanism for UAN to safeguard against unauthorized access and ensure secure data storage in the cloud. The proposed mechanism prioritizes robustness, transparency, and energy efficiency. The suggested solution incorporates an architecture based on edge and cloud layers, utilizing customized blockchain technology for secure storage and processing of data. The security of the proposed solution has been thoroughly examined through formal analysis utilizing the Real or Random (ROR) Oracle model and Scyther tool. Informal analysis further confirms the solution’s resilience against various malicious attacks. Additionally, performance and comparative analysis demonstrate that the proposed solution surpasses existing schemes.