Blockchain as a mean to secure Internet of Things ecosystems – a systematic literature review
Journal of Enterprise Information Management
ISSN: 1741-0398
Article publication date: 2 August 2021
Issue publication date: 9 November 2021
Abstract
Purpose
Blockchain is evolving to become a platform for securing Internet of things (IoT) ecosystems. Still, challenges remain. The purpose of this literature review is to highlight the applicability of blockchain as a medium to secure IoT ecosystems. A two-dimensional framework anchored on (1) IoT layers and (2) security goals is used to organize the existent IoT security threats and their corresponding countermeasures identified in the reviewed literature. The framework helped in mapping the IoT security threats with the inherent features of blockchain and accentuate their prominence to IoT security.
Design/methodology/approach
An approach integrating computerized natural language processing (NLP) with a systematic literature review methodology was adopted. A large corpus of 2,303 titles and abstracts of blockchain articles was programmatically analyzed in order to identify the relevant literature. The identified literature was subjected to a systematic review guided by a well-established method in IS research.
Findings
The literature evidently highlights the prominence of blockchain as a mean to IoT security due to the distinctive features it encompasses. The authors’ investigation revealed that numerous existent threats are better addressed with blockchain than conventional mechanisms. Nevertheless, blockchain consumes resources such as electricity, time, bandwidth and disk space at a rate that is not yet easily accessible to common IoT ecosystems.
Research limitations/implications
Results suggest that a configurational approach that aligns IoT security requirements with the resource requirements of different blockchain features is necessary in order to realize the proper balance between security, efficiency and feasibility.
Practical implications
Practitioners can make use of the classified lists of convention security mechanisms and the IoT threats they address. The framework can help underline the countermeasures that best achieve their security goals. Practitioners can also use the framework to identify the most important features to seek for in a blockchain technology that can help them achieve their security goals.
Originality/value
This study proposes a novel framework that can help classify IoT threats based on the IoT layer impacted and the security goal at risk. Moreover, it applies a combined man-machine approach to systematically analyze the literature.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was made possible by NPRPC Grant No. NPRP11C-1229-170007 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.
Citation
El-Masri, M. and Hussain, E.M.A. (2021), "Blockchain as a mean to secure Internet of Things ecosystems – a systematic literature review", Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. 34 No. 5, pp. 1371-1405. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-12-2020-0533
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited