Blockchain-enabled authentication framework for Maritime Transportation System empowered by 6G-IoT

Abstract

In recent years, Maritime Transportation Systems (MTS) have experienced significant advancements through the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The introduction of 6G mobile networks has further expanded possibilities by offering enhanced communication services and additional functionalities such as processing, caching, sensing, and control for a wide array of IoT devices. Despite these technological advancements, the integration of IoT and 6G has introduced new risks and challenges in terms of safety and reliability. The involvement of various maritime stakeholders in scheduling and managing marine transportation exacerbates these challenges. Moreover, the MTS has encountered escalating security and privacy concerns with unauthorized data access and message tampering pose significant vulnerabilities in the 6G-IoT-enabled MTS environment. Therefore, a shared and controlled access mechanism that cannot be manipulated or tampered with by unauthorized parties is also an essential requirement in MTS. To address these issues, this paper presents an authentication framework leveraging blockchain technology, specifically designed for 6G-IoT-enabled MTS. The objective is to handle real-time data using decentralized peer-to-peer cloud servers with minimal latency, all while addressing security and privacy concerns specific to MTS. This integration also serves to mitigate various security threats. The protocol’s security and privacy are verified through rigorous evaluations, including the ROR model, Scyther tool, and informal security analysis. A simulation of the proposed protocol using MIRACL is conducted, offering a comprehensive assessment of its computational costs and security features when compared to existing protocols, demonstrating its superior security and efficiency.