The rapid integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in smart environments has ushered in a new era for digital forensics, presenting both challenges and opportunities. This thesis investigates the evolving field of IoT forensics, which encompasses the intricate processes of collecting, preserving, analyzing, and presenting digital evidence generated by IoT devices. This work aims to expand the researches that tried to enhance the IoT Foresnic framework with the use of Blockchain technology by proposing an innovative chain of custody enhanced by Ethereum smart contracts and edge computing. The chosen blockchain for this implementation is a private Ethereum blockchain with Proof-of-Authority consensus. Proof of Authority is designed to work well when in our use case as verifier nodes can be supposed well behaving so their can be assigned the signature of the new block without real competition for a financial reward. Being based on the Ethereum Virtual Machina, EVM, Ethereum's smart contracts also allowed to design standardized interactions and processes within the architecture, providing a robust framework for managing and accessing digital evidence securely. While the log of interactions is maintained on the blockchian storage of sensitive files exploits Edge computing which allows to create a distributed storage while maintaining decentralization using IPFS. Performance evaluations conducted on a local node run on Raspberry Pi while simulating the rest of the network on a desktop computer, demonstrate efficient resource management during evidence creation, showcasing the feasibility of deploying the architecture on existing IoT infrastructure with minimal operational impact. This thesis contributes to the advancement of IoT forensics by proposing a scalable and resilient framework that leverages blockchain and edge computing technologies to address the complexities inherent in IoT device ecosystems. By establishing a secure chain of custody and ensuring data integrity through decentralized storage, the proposed architecture provides a foundation for future developments in digital forensic investigations involving IoT devices.
La rapida integrazione dei dispositivi Internet of Things (IoT) negli ambienti intelligenti ha inaugurato una nuova era per IoT Forensic, presentando sia sfide che opportunità. Questa tesi indaga il campo in evoluzione della forensics IoT, che comprende i processi intricati di raccolta, conservazione, analisi e presentazione delle prove digitali generate dai dispositivi IoT. Questo lavoro mira a espandere le ricerche che hanno cercato di migliorare il framework di forensics IoT con l'uso della tecnologia Blockchain, proponendo una catena di custodia innovativa migliorata da smart contract Ethereum e edge computing. La blockchain scelta per questa implementazione è una blockchain privata Ethereum con consenso Proof-of-Authority. Il Proof-of-Authority è progettato per funzionare bene nel nostro caso d'uso poiché i nodi verificatori possono essere supposti ben comportanti, quindi può essere assegnata loro la firma del nuovo blocco senza una reale competizione per una ricompensa finanziaria. Essendo basato sulla Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), gli smart contract di Ethereum hanno anche permesso di progettare interazioni e processi standardizzati all'interno dell'architettura, fornendo un framework robusto per gestire e accedere alle prove digitali in modo sicuro. Mentre il log delle interazioni è mantenuto sulla blockchain, l'archiviazione dei file sensibili sfrutta l'Edge computing, che consente di creare un'archiviazione distribuita mantenendo la decentralizzazione utilizzando IPFS. Le valutazioni delle prestazioni condotte su un nodo locale eseguito su Raspberry Pi, mentre si simula il resto della rete su un computer desktop, dimostrano una gestione efficiente delle risorse durante la creazione delle prove, mostrando la fattibilità del dispiegamento dell'architettura sull'infrastruttura IoT esistente con un impatto operativo minimo. Questa tesi contribuisce all'avanzamento della IoT Forensic proponendo un framework scalabile e resiliente che sfrutta le tecnologie blockchain e edge computing per affrontare le complessità inerenti agli ecosistemi dei dispositivi IoT. Stabilendo una catena di custodia sicura e garantendo l'integrità dei dati attraverso l'archiviazione decentralizzata, l'architettura proposta fornisce una base per futuri sviluppi nelle indagini forensi digitali che coinvolgono dispositivi IoT.
Multi-party consensus-based Blockchain for Internet of Things forensic investigation
PEZZONI, RICCARDO
2023/2024
Abstract
The rapid integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in smart environments has ushered in a new era for digital forensics, presenting both challenges and opportunities. This thesis investigates the evolving field of IoT forensics, which encompasses the intricate processes of collecting, preserving, analyzing, and presenting digital evidence generated by IoT devices. This work aims to expand the researches that tried to enhance the IoT Foresnic framework with the use of Blockchain technology by proposing an innovative chain of custody enhanced by Ethereum smart contracts and edge computing. The chosen blockchain for this implementation is a private Ethereum blockchain with Proof-of-Authority consensus. Proof of Authority is designed to work well when in our use case as verifier nodes can be supposed well behaving so their can be assigned the signature of the new block without real competition for a financial reward. Being based on the Ethereum Virtual Machina, EVM, Ethereum's smart contracts also allowed to design standardized interactions and processes within the architecture, providing a robust framework for managing and accessing digital evidence securely. While the log of interactions is maintained on the blockchian storage of sensitive files exploits Edge computing which allows to create a distributed storage while maintaining decentralization using IPFS. Performance evaluations conducted on a local node run on Raspberry Pi while simulating the rest of the network on a desktop computer, demonstrate efficient resource management during evidence creation, showcasing the feasibility of deploying the architecture on existing IoT infrastructure with minimal operational impact. This thesis contributes to the advancement of IoT forensics by proposing a scalable and resilient framework that leverages blockchain and edge computing technologies to address the complexities inherent in IoT device ecosystems. By establishing a secure chain of custody and ensuring data integrity through decentralized storage, the proposed architecture provides a foundation for future developments in digital forensic investigations involving IoT devices.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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Thesys_Multi-party consensus-based Blockchain for Internet of Thing forensic investigation.pdf
Open Access dal 25/06/2025
Descrizione: Thesys
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Executive_Summary_Multi-party consensus-based Blockchain for Internet of Thing forensic investigation.pdf
Open Access dal 25/06/2025
Descrizione: Executive Summary
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/223572