Blockchain-Based Key State Management for IoT Devices in Post-Quantum Era

Blockchain has been paving the way for new business opportunities as we have witnessed over the last few years. It will continue to proliferate further and be adopted in increasingly diverse sectors. One area of research in Blockchain is how it can be used in Internet of Things (IoT) based applications like Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Smart cities and Healthcare. However, with the advent of quantum technology, some widely used security algorithms in blockchain are vulnerable (i.e., quantum algorithms can exponentially solve cryptographic algorithms used to digitally sign or encrypt data), thereby diminishing communication security. Thus, post-quantum algorithms are at the forefront of research to secure data before quantum technologies can fully mature. Early standardized post-quantum algorithms such as hash-based one-time signatures, relies on the proven one-way-ness of hashing algorithm. Hash-based one-time signatures require robust secret key management systems to prevent security degradation. To safeguard IoT applications from quantum threats, this paper proposes a solution which utilizes both hash-based one-time signatures and blockchain to cover each technology's weaknesses.