Firmware verification of embedded devices based on a blockchain

Abstract

In this paper, a new firmware verification scheme is presented that utilizes blockchain technologies for securing network embedded devices. In the proposed scheme, an embedded device requests a firmware verification to nodes connected in a blockchain network and gets a response whether its firmware is up-to-date or not. If not latest, the embedded device can securely download and install the latest firmware from a firmware update server. Even in the case that the version of the firmware is up-to-date, its integrity is checked via the blockchain nodes. The proposed scheme guarantees that the embedded device’s firmware is not tampered and latest. The effects of attacks targeting known vulnerabilities are thus minimized.