Blockchain-based OCF Firmware Update

Abstract

As the IoT devices growth rate is increasing, various issues related to this device need attention. One of the problems is the distribution of the firmware update. Since the development of IoT devices does not stop when the manufacturer sells the devices to the distributor, retailer, and customer, it will need to keep updated. One of the reasons is to prevent cyber-attacks. The commonly used firmware update process is over-the-air (OTA). It is a centralized way and direct downloads from the manufacturer server. It is vulnerable to single-point-of-failure and can delay critical patches from being applied to vulnerable devices. The firmware update process also needs to make sure the integrity and security of the patches. Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) is one of the organizations that are contributing to providing interoperability for IoT devices. In this paper, we proposed blockchain-based OCF firmware updates. The blockchain technology and smart contract can protect the integrity and transparency of the firmware updates. Besides, it will prevent a single-point-of-failure if the adversary attacks the manufacturer by providing peer-to-peer firmware update.