BLOFF: A Blockchain based Forensic Model in IoT

Abstract: In this era of explosive growth in technology, the internet of things (IoT) has become the game changer when we consider technologies like smart homes and cities, smart energy, security and surveillance, and healthcare. The numerous benefits provided by IoT have become attractive technologies for users and cybercriminals. Cybercriminals of today have the tools and the technology to deploy millions of sophisticated attacks. These attacks need to be investigated; this is where digital forensics comes into play. However, it is not easy to conduct a forensic investigation in IoT systems because of the heterogeneous nature of the IoT environment. Additionally, forensic investigators mostly rely on evidence from service providers, a situation that can lead to evidence contamination. To solve this problem, the authors proposed a blockchain-based IoT forensic model that prevents the admissibility of tampered logs into evidence.