Telstra trials IoT devices security using blockchain and biometrics

After conducting real-world testing of the Ethereum, Apache Hyperledger, and Ripple blockchains, the company’s security experts said they questioned whether a solution could be found for devices with a tiny amount of storage through blockchaining IoT. In order to do that, the company began testing its ADSL T-Gateways before moving onto its string of smart home products.

The testers signed the firmware, ran a cryptographic hash of the firmware and of the configuration, and then they monitored it against the blockchain. Afterwards, they extended the blockchain trial to more of the companys IoT home devices, including the switches and cameras. As the testing progressed, however, company’s security experts said they became concerned about security -- more specifically, the lack of identity verification. The IoT testing was conducted across low-power (LoRa) networks.

Therefore, they have started looking at biometrics, facial recognition and voice recognition, and tied those fingerprints to the blockchain so that it could not be tampered with. By integrating biometrics into the app and the blockchain testing, users could then validate their identity.

At the end of the testing, the company concluded that the use of blockchain makes security across IoT devices much more efficient and cost effective for organisations.