Zero-trust IoT communication authentication and key management mechanism based on blockchain

Abstract

To address the critical vulnerabilities of identity anchors and the inherent limitations of perimeter-based defense in heterogeneous IoT environments, this paper proposes a blockchain-integrated zero-trust framework for communication authentication and key management. By leveraging blockchain as a decentralized trust anchor, the mechanism ensures robust identity persistence and orchestrates the entire key lifecycle—including automated generation, distribution, and revocation — through smart contracts to eliminate single-point failures. The proposed architecture implements a bidirectional zero-trust authentication protocol that facilitates continuous trust assessment and mutual verification, effectively curbing the lateral spread of internal threats. Empirical evaluations demonstrate that the system achieves a functional success rate exceeding 95%, while maintaining high security integrity and stable performance metrics under increasing data loads. These results confirm the framework's scalability and its efficacy in meeting the stringent security requirements of modern, large-scale IoT ecosystems.