A Blockchain-Based Lightweight Authentication Framework for Secure Communication in IoT Networks
We present a lightweight blockchain-based authentication framework for secure communication in Internet of Things (IoT) networks. The framework integrates a permissioned blockchain with ECC-256 (secp256r1, 128-bit security, NIST SP 800-57) to provide mutual authentication, data integrity, and non-repudiation for resource-constrained IoT devices. A novel Proof-of-Authentication (PoA) consensus mechanism eliminates energy-intensive mining. Formal verification via complete BAN logic derivations and AVISPA (OFMC and CL-AtSe, Dolev-Yao model) confirms resistance to replay, man-in-the-middle, Sybil, impersonation, compromised-gateway, and blockchain-manipulation attacks. Prototype results over 100 repeated trials (95% CI) on Raspberry Pi and ESP32 achieve 221.1±4.8 ms authentication latency and 30.1±0.9 mJ energy—42.6% and 37.8% lower than comparable schemes. Sub-linear latency scaling is demonstrated for networks up to 1000 devices.