InterPlanetary File System Research Articles

A Closer Look into IPFS: Accessibility, Content, and Performance

The InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) has recently gained considerable attention. While prior research has focused on understanding its performance characterization and application support, it remains unclear: (1) what kind of files/content are stored in IPFS, (2) who are providing these files, (3) are these files always accessible, and (4) what affects the file access performance. To answer these questions, in this paper, we perform measurement and analysis on over 4 million files associated with CIDs (content IDs) that appeared in publicly available IPFS datasets. Our results reveal the following key findings: (1) Mixed file accessibility: while IPFS is not designed for a permanent storage, accessing a non-trivial portion of files, such as those of NFTs and video streams, often requires multiple retrieval attempts, potentially blocking NFT transactions and negatively affecting the user experience. (2) Dominance of NFT (non-fungible token) and video files: about 50% of stored files are NFT-related, followed by a large portion of video files, among which about half are pirated movies and adult content. (3) Centralization of content providers: a small number of peers (top-50), mostly cloud nodes hosted by tech companies, serve a large portion (95%) of files, deviating from IPFS's intended design goal. (4) High variation of downloading throughput and lookup time: large file retrievals experience lower average throughput due to more overhead for resolving file chunk CIDs, and looking up files hosted by non-cloud nodes takes longer. We hope that our findings can offer valuable insights for (1) IPFS application developers to take into consideration these characteristics when building applications on top of IPFS, and (2) IPFS system developers to improve IPFS and similar systems to be developed for Web3.

PrivShieldROS: An Extended Robot Operating System Integrating Ethereum and Interplanetary File System for Enhanced Sensor Data Privacy.

With the application of robotics in security monitoring, medical care, image analysis, and other high-privacy fields, vision sensor data in robotic operating systems (ROS) faces the challenge of enhancing secure storage and transmission. Recently, it has been proposed that the distributed advantages of blockchain be taken advantage of to improve the security of data in ROS. Still, it has limitations such as high latency and large resource consumption. To address these issues, this paper introduces PrivShieldROS, an extended robotic operating system developed by InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), blockchain, and HybridABEnc to enhance the confidentiality and security of vision sensor data in ROS. The system takes advantage of the decentralized nature of IPFS to enhance data availability and robustness while combining HybridABEnc for fine-grained access control. In addition, it ensures the security and confidentiality of the data distribution mechanism by using blockchain technology to store data content identifiers (CID) persistently. Finally, the effectiveness of this system is verified by three experiments. Compared with the state-of-the-art blockchain-extended ROS, PrivShieldROS shows improvements in key metrics. This paper has been partly submitted to IROS 2024.

A Blockchain-Based Privacy Preserving Intellectual Property Authentication Method

With the continuous advancement of information technology, a growing number of works, including articles, paintings, and music, are being digitized. Digital content can be swiftly shared and disseminated via the Internet. However, it is also vulnerable to malicious plagiarism, which can seriously infringe upon the rights of creators and dampen their enthusiasm. To protect creators’ rights and interests, a sophisticated method is necessary to authenticate digital intellectual property rights. Traditional authentication methods rely on centralized, trustworthy organizations that are susceptible to single points of failure. Additionally, these methods are prone to network attacks that can lead to data loss, tampering, or leakage. Moreover, the circulation of copyright information often lacks transparency and traceability in traditional systems, which leads to information asymmetry and prevents creators from controlling the use and protection of their personal information during the authentication process. Blockchain technology, with its decentralized, tamper-proof, and traceable attributes, addresses these issues perfectly. In blockchain technology, each node is a peer, ensuring the symmetry of information. However, the transparent feature of blockchains can lead to the leakage of user privacy data. Therefore, this study designs and implements an Ethereum blockchain-based intellectual property authentication scheme with privacy protection. Firstly, we propose a method that combines elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) encryption with digital signatures to achieve selective encryption of user personal information. Subsequently, an authentication algorithm based on Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge (zk-SNARK) is adopted to complete the authentication of intellectual property ownership while encrypting personal privacy data. Finally, we adopt the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to store large files, solving the problem of blockchain storage space limitations.

A Secure Storage For Medical Information Scheme Using Blockchain

Nowadays, many companies, organizations, hospitals and individuals have adopted centralized data storage systems to store and share data. However, these systems create a single point of failure and involve a centralized entity or third party, which can cause concern for users. Decentralized storage systems are therefore needed to overcome the drawbacks of the traditional approach. However, in the face of centralization issues, this paper proposes a combination of Hyperledger Fabric, InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC), and proxy re-encryption to enhance the security and transparency features of decentralized storage systems. Thus, the proposed scheme provides a secure decentralized system storage of medical information using a consortium blockchain

Robust-DSN: A Hybrid Distributed Replication and Encoding Network Grouped with a Distributed Swarm Workflow Scheduler

In many distributed applications such as the Internet of Things (IoT), large amounts of data are being generated that require robust storage solutions. Traditional cloud solutions, although efficient, often lack trust and transparency because of centralized management. To address these issues, we present Robust-DSN, a distributed storage network leveraging the hybrid distributed replication and encoding network (HYDREN) and the distributed swarm workflow scheduler (DSWS) as its main components. Our system uses an interplanetary file system (IPFS) as an underlay storage network and segments it into multiple regions to distribute the failure domain and improve the data’s proximity to users. HYDREN incorporates Reed–Solomon encoding and distributed replication to improve file availability, while DSWS optimizes resource allocation across the network. The uploaded file is encoded into chunks and distributed across distinct optimal nodes leveraging lightweight multithreading. Additionally, Robust-DSN verifies the integrity of all chunks by preserving the hashes when uploading and validating each chunk while downloading. The proposed system provides a comprehensive solution for resilient distributed data storage, focusing on the key challenges of data availability, integrity, and performance. The results reveal that compared with a state-of-the-art system, the proposed system improves file recovery by 15%, even with a 50% peer failure rate. Furthermore, with replication factor 4 and the same failure resilience as IPFS, it saves 50% storage and enhances file recovery by 8%. Robust-DSN acts as a distributed storage platform for emerging technologies, expanding storage system capabilities in a wide range of distributed applications.

Evidence Vault

Ensuring the integrity of evidence is paramount within the realm of digital forensics. The preservation of evidence gathered at a crime scene is essential for concluding investigations and delivering justice to those involved. Hence, it is imperative to safeguard this evidence from any form of tampering. The process that upholds the reliability of evidence is known as the "chain of custody." Failure to maintain the chain of custody can render the evidence inadmissible in court, potentially resulting in the dismissal of the case. To address these challenges and promote an eco-friendly approach, there is a need to modernize the forensic evidence protection system through digitalization. Blockchain technology offers a promising solution in this regard. Blockchains are decentralized digital ledgers that chronologically record transactions through cryptographic signatures. These transactions are organized into blocks and are accessible to all participants within the blockchain network. In conjunction with this, the Interplanetary File System (IPFS) serves as a network file system that complements the blockchain. The current research aims to develop a system that leverages blockchain technology to digitize the forensic evidence protection system while preserving the chain of custody. This approach is rooted in the principles of blockchain and the utilization of IPFS. Keywords: Evidence, Blockchain Technology, Digital Forensics, Chain of Custody, IPFS, Cryptography.

KYC using Smart Contract over Blockchain

Know Your Customer (KYC) is a requirement for financial institutions to use identity, qualification and risk to identify customers when establishing a banking relationship. With the focus on security, the KYC process has become difficult and costly to complete for any customer. In this article, we propose a convenient, instant, secure and transparent banking system KYC certification platform through Inter Planetary File System (IPFS) and block-chain technology. The system allows customers to open an account at any bank, complete the KYC process there, generate hashes using the IPFS network, and distribute them to other banks using the legacy urine of block-chain technology. Using a private key, all banks/financial institutions can use the IPFS network to securely store and store customer information (e.g. KYC) if the customer wants to open another account with that bank/financial institution. Additionally, leveraging block-chain technology ensures immutability and transparency of KYC information, thereby increasing security and reducing the risk of fraud or misuse of information. Storing hashed KYC data on the IPFS network ensures that important customer data remains transparent and accessible only to authorized users, thus maintaining confidentiality and compliance with data protection laws. In addition, the processes that this new system can easily adjust will increase efficiency in the banking sector, allowing companies to allocate resources more efficiently and focus on providing better customer service. By sharing KYC credentials across multiple banks, customers benefit from a quicker and faster account opening process; When banks come voluntarily, it builds trust and reduces the risks associated with new customers. Overall, the integration of block-chain and IPFS technology into the KYC process should transform the banking industry by providing efficient, secure and transparent solutions that enable customer satisfaction and compliance.

"Ensuring Security in Electronic Health Records: Implementing and Validating a Blockchain and IPFS Framework"

The rapid advancement of information technology has completely transformed the healthcare sector, demanding creative solutions to tackle a wide range of challenges. Electronic Health Records (EHR) are essential in contemporary healthcare systems, enabling the storage, retrieval, and sharing of data about patients among healthcare providers. Ensuring the confidentiality and safety of EHR data is a major challenge because of the sensitive nature of health-related information and the growing number of cyber threats. Our paper introduces a new framework for enhancing the security of Electronic Health Records by leveraging the use of blockchain technology and the Inter Planetary File System (IPFS). The framework utilizes the immutability and decentralized nature of blockchain to guarantee data integrity and audibility, while IPFS offers a distributed and resistant tamp storing solution for data stored off-chain. Explaining the structure of our proposed framework, which involves combining blockchain and IPFS components, and examining how it tackles important security and privacy issues in EHR systems. Furthermore, a demonstration of the framework's implementation is provided, along with an assessment of its performance, scalability, and security aspects. The study illustrates the potential and success of utilizing blockchain and IPFS to secure Electronic Health Records, leading to improved data security and compatibility in healthcare systems.

Blockchain based Decentralized Storage System

Abstract: This research introduces a novel decentralized storage system implemented through the integration of blockchain technology. The system is manifested in the form of a website developed using React.js, tailwindcss, and MySQL as the backend database, complemented by the Inter Planetary File System (IPFS) for the secure storage of diverse document formats such as .pdf, .jpg, and .png. Users can securely manage their documents within their respective accounts on the platform. One of the primary features of the system is the ability for users to securely request access to specific documents from other users via the blockchain. This mechanism ensures a transparent and tamper-resistant transaction process, bolstering the security and integrity of document sharing. Additionally, users can seamlessly store their own documents within their personalized accounts, enhancing the platform's user-centric functionality. The utilization of React.js and tailwindcss ensures an interactive and visually appealing user interface, contributing to an enhanced user experience. The backend infrastructure, supported by MySQL, provides a robust and scalable foundation for efficient data management. This research contributes to the field by presenting a comprehensive solution that addresses the challenges associated with centralized storage systems. The decentralized architecture, coupled with blockchain-based access control, not only enhances security but also promotes transparency and accountability in document management.

DEVS: Secure and optimal decentralized energy trading scheme for Electric Vehicle and Charging Station using game theory

SummaryWith the advent and popularity of electric vehicles (EVs), the intelligent transportation system has adopted them as an alternative to fossil fuel or gasoline vehicles owing to their benefits of reduced greenhouse gas emissions. However, it becomes critical to schedule the vast EVs at the charging station (CS) efficiently while maintaining security, privacy, and optimality during the energy trading. Therefore, we propose a blockchain and zero‐sum game theory‐based energy trading scheme, that is, DEVS, for optimal and secure EV charging at the CS. We incorporate the Interplanetary File System with the blockchain to ameliorate the cost‐efficiency and reliability of EV energy trading. Furthermore, we implement the zero‐sum game theory between players EV and CS to yield an optimal payoff based on pure and mixed strategies during the energy trading procedure. Moreover, we deploy and execute the smart contract (SC) of the blockchain‐based proposed DEVS scheme in the Remix integrated development environment to secure EV energy trading transactions. Additionally, the security of the proposed DEVS scheme is checked and analyzed using a fuzzing‐based Echidna tool for protected energy trading. Finally, the performance evaluation of the proposed DEVS scheme is analyzed using various standard metrics such as profit comparison based on strategies, energy price comparison, CS profit comparison for pure strategy (based on arrival time), convergence comparison, and profit (EV and CS) at saddle point and mixed strategy to avail preserved and optimal energy trading for EVs.

Implementation of Smart KYC using Blockchain

The know your customer or know your client (KYC) is a guideline for the banking system to validate a customer using identity, appropriateness, risk assessment in establishing a banking relationship. With the growing concern of security, the KYC process is complex and involves a high cost for completing for a single customer. In this work, we propose an economical, swift, secure, and transparent platform for KYC document verification for the Banking system through InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) and blockchain technology. The proposed system allows a customer to open an account at one Bank, complete the KYC process there, and generate a hash value using the IPFS network and share it using the blockchain technique. Upon receiving the private key, any Bank/financial organization can retrieve, store customer data (i.e., KYC) securely using IPFS network if the customer wishes to open another account in that Bank/financial organization. The proposed system can save time, money, and repetitive work during the KYC process when someone tries to open an account at multiple Banks

Blockchain-based cooperative game bilateral matching architecture for shared storage

The development of IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) and blockchain-based distributed storage projects has brought new possibilities to the field of storage. This paper proposes a blockchain-based cooperative game bilateral matching architecture as a novel approach for shared storage networks. In traditional competitive (non-cooperative) game models, the allocation of storage resources is centered around pricing, leading to a scenario where node providers often engage in price competition to obtain greater rewards, resulting in an imbalance in resource allocation for both buyers and sellers. In contrast, a distributed storage model based on cooperative game theory can better facilitate cooperation and resource sharing among node providers. This paper designs a storage resource allocation algorithm based on the stable marriage matching algorithm, demonstrating the stability of this algorithm as a matching solution. The paper also analyzes the differences between cooperative and non-cooperative game models in the market, and explores an equilibrium pricing mechanism guided by supply and demand. Furthermore, the paper introduces a trading mechanism for storage resources, including publication standards and matching schemes, ensuring efficient and trustworthy interaction between storage suppliers and demanders in a decentralized network centered around storage resources, thus enabling the circulation of the value of storage resources. A prototype of a blockchain-based shared storage trading system is implemented in this paper, utilizing bilateral matching for tradings. System evaluation and experimental testing are conducted, with results showing that the average utility value of the matching trading mechanism proposed in this paper outperforms the Double Auction-based matching model under any Poisson distribution (λ = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, …, 0.9) conditions set in the experiments. Additionally, compared to the traditional approach of directly storing complete data content on the chain, the design proposed in this paper effectively reduces on-chain storage consumption by approximately 27.06%.

Blockchain-enabled Data Governance Framework for Enhancing Security and Efficiency in Multi-Cloud Environments through Ethereum, IPFS, and Cloud Infrastructure Integration

In today's digital landscape, the exponential growth of big data demands secure and efficient processing, particularly in complex multi-cloud environments. This paper proposes an innovative blockchain-enabled data governance framework, revolutionizing data management, processing, and security across diverse cloud infrastructures. The framework integrates cutting-edge technologies, including the Ethereum blockchain, the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) protocol, and cloud solutions like OpenStack and Red Hat OpenShift. At its core, the framework utilizes Ethereum's robust smart contracts and consensus mechanisms to establish a decentralized and secure data governance model. This ensures data integrity, transparency, and immutability, mitigating risks associated with centralized storage and processing. The IPFS protocol complements blockchain by offering efficient data sharding and retrieval mechanisms, enhancing data accessibility and fault tolerance in distributed cloud environments. Through comprehensive testing and analysis, the proposed framework's value is demonstrated. Performance metrics, including throughput, latency, CPU utilization, and memory utilization, were meticulously evaluated to assess system efficiency and scalability. Results indicate high performance, with Ethereum's Proof of Authority (PoA) consensus mechanism enabling efficient transaction throughput of up to 1000 transactions per second. Additionally, the IPFS protocol exhibits effective data retrieval capabilities, with an average latency of 15 milliseconds for data access operations.

A Blockchain-Based Secure Sharing Scheme for Electrical Impedance Tomography Data

Real-time electrical impedance tomography (EIT) data sharing is becoming increasingly necessary, due to the extensive use of EIT technology in various sectors, including material analysis, biomedicine, and industrial process monitoring. The prevalence of portable EIT equipment and remote imaging technology has led to a predominance of centralized storage, Internet protocol transmission, and certificates from certificate authorities (CA) in telemedicine data. This has resulted in compromised data security, network communication delays, high CA maintenance costs, increased risks of medical data privacy breaches, and low security. Therefore, this paper offers a consortia blockchain-based method for exchanging EIT data that addresses security and integrity concerns during data storage and exchange, while maintaining transparency and traceability. Proprietary re-encryption techniques are employed to guarantee traceability when exchanging anonymous data, enabling precise control over data access. This scheme serves to protect both data and identity privacy, as well as to trace the actual identity of potential malicious users, while also thwarting any coordinated efforts between partially trusted parties and data requesters seeking unauthorized access to confidential information. Additionally, a combination of blockchain and InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) distributed storage technology is utilized to ease the burden of EIT data storage. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed solution were validated through a series of experiments, demonstrating its ability to effectively prevent data tampering and misuse, reduce data management costs, and enhance the efficiency and quality of data sharing.

Blockchain Based Atonomys De-Centralised Online Social Network

Online social networks (OSNs) have become integral to daily life, yet the prevalent centralized model of these platforms presents considerable challenges in terms of security, privacy, and management. In response to these concerns, a decentralized architecture underpinned by blockchain technology emerges as a promising solution. This paper delves into the development of an OSN service leveraging blockchain technology to facilitate decentralized operation, thereby addressing the aforementioned issues. Through the utilization of the Interplanetary Filesystem (IPFS), large volumes of low-security data are effectively decentralized, contributing to enhanced data integrity and accessibility. Furthermore, the establishment of a decentralized autonomous organization empowers users with greater autonomy, enabling democratic self-governance of the OSN. This innovative approach not only addresses existing shortcomings but also paves the way for a more resilient, transparent, and user-centric social networking paradigm.

SDACS: Blockchain-Based Secure and Dynamic Access Control Scheme for Internet of Things.

With the rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), massive terminal devices are connected to the network, generating a large amount of IoT data. The reliable sharing of IoT data is crucial for fields such as smart home and healthcare, as it promotes the intelligence of the IoT and provides faster problem solutions. Traditional data sharing schemes usually rely on a trusted centralized server to achieve each attempted access from users to data, which faces serious challenges of a single point of failure, low reliability, and an opaque access process in current IoT environments. To address these disadvantages, we propose a secure and dynamic access control scheme for the IoT, named SDACS, which enables data owners to achieve decentralized and fine-grained access control in an auditable and reliable way. For access control, attribute-based control (ABAC), Hyperledger Fabric, and interplanetary file system (IPFS) were used, with four kinds of access control contracts deployed on blockchain to coordinate and implement access policies. Additionally, a lightweight, certificateless authentication protocol was proposed to minimize the disclosure of identity information and ensure the double-layer protection of data through secure off-chain identity authentication and message transmission. The experimental and theoretical analysis demonstrated that our scheme can maintain high throughput while achieving high security and stability in IoT data security sharing scenarios.

Strengthening data integrity in academic document recording with blockchain and InterPlanetary file system

A diploma is a certificate or official document given by a school or college that is useful for continuing education, applying for jobs, and assessing student intelligence. The main problem with diplomas and other academic documents is that many are forged. This study aims to develop a prototype for recording student academic data using blockchain and blockchain and InterPlanetary file system (IPFS). The research stages were conducted with system conceptualization, data modeling, smart contract development, IPFS integration, data transaction development, user interface/user experience (UI/UX) development, and system testing. A blockchain is a permanent information structure formed by data blocks that are interconnected with transaction data blocks before and after it. The transaction data for each block are encrypted using asymmetric cryptography. IPFS is a peer-to-peer network protocol for storing and sharing data in a distributed file system applying the concept of decentralization to make the manipulation more difficult. The results show that student academic data and documents were successfully stored in a blockchain network using smart contracts and IPFS. Blockchain technology, smart contracts, and IPFS strengthen the value of these documents into documents that are safe, difficult to counterfeit, and easy to trace, such that authentication and integration are better preserved.

E2EE enhanced patient-centric blockchain-based system for EHR management.

To secure sensitive medical records in the healthcare clouds, this paper proposes an End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) to enhance a patient-centric blockchain-based system for electronic health record (EHR) management. The suggested system with a focus on the patient enables individuals to oversee their medical records within various involved parties by authorizing or withdrawing permission for access to their records. Utilizing the inter-planetary file system (IPFS) for record storage is chosen due to its decentralized nature and its ability to guarantee the unchangeability of records. Then an E2EE enhancement maintains the medical data integrity using dual level-Hybrid encryption: symmetric Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and asymmetric Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) cryptographic techniques. The proposed system is implemented using the Ethereum blockchain system for EHR data sharing and integration utilizing a web-based interface for the patient and all users to initiate the EHR sharing transactions over the IPFS cloud. The proposed system performance is evaluated in a working system prototype. For different file sizes between 512 KB to 100 MB, the performance metrics used to evaluate the proposed system were the time consumed for generating key, encryption, and decryption. The results demonstrate the proposed system's superiority over other cutting-edge systems and its practical ability to share secure health data in cloud environments.

Decentralization of Webhosting Using Blockchain

Abstract: This paper introduces a ground breaking approach to web hosting, leveraging the decentralized infrastructure of the Interplanetary File System (IPFS) and the secure framework of the Ethereum blockchain. In this novel model, Ethereum smart contracts govern the IPFS network and hosting services, ensuring robust management and reliability. IPFS serves as the backbone for data storage and website hosting, with storage miner nodes providing essential pinning services to maintain the longevity of stored content. Additionally, these nodes facilitate the Interplanetary Name Space (IPNS) service, enabling the creation and maintenance of mutable links to IPFS contents, thus enhancing accessibility and ease of updates. DNS TXT records are employed to seamlessly map domain names to IPNS addresses, seamlessly integrating decentralized hosting with traditional web infrastructure. To safeguard user privacy and data integrity, websites deploy advanced encryption algorithms, ensuring confidentiality in the decentralized environment. The proposed model represents a fusion of IPFS and blockchain networks, creating a robust platform for decentralized web hosting. Through experimental validation, the efficacy of this approach is demonstrated, showcasing its ability to surpass traditional web hosting models in terms of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This innovative solution not only addresses existing challenges in web hosting but also heralds a new era of decentralized, secure, and accessible internet infrastructure

Leveraging Blockchain and IPFS for Secure and Privacy-Preserving Patient Medical Record Management: A Government-Controlled Approach

Abstract: In recent years, the integration of blockchain technology with healthcare systems has garnered considerable attention due to its potential to enhance security, privacy, and interoperability in managing patient medical records. This paper proposes a novel approach to patient medical record management by leveraging Ethereum blockchain and InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) for storage, within a government-controlled framework. The system ensures secure and immutable storage of patients' medical records, accessible only by verified medical professionals, thus facilitating informed diagnosis and treatment. Additionally, the platform provides mechanisms for patient recourse in case of inaccuracies, as well as potential integration with insurance agencies. Furthermore, the proposed system envisages a future extension to facilitate anonymized data sharing with the scientific community, thereby contributing to advancements in medical research. This paper provides a comprehensive academic description of the proposed approach, discussing its technical architecture, security measures, regulatory framework, and potential impact on healthcare delivery and research.