Application of Blockchain in Managing Security Challenges Confronting the Adoption of 4IR in Smart Environments

Occurrences of hacking intentions and privacy violations make digital trust a major challenge. This is true in the smart environment domain, where captured or recorded datasets serve as inputs for predictions and monitoring systems and must comply with many regulations due to the sensitivity of the predictions. This study explores how the application of Blockchain technology/solution, could be used to manage or mitigate the security challenges comforting smart environments and by extension a multi-hazard early warning system. In this paper, the security concerns from the adoption of smart environments are discussed and the mitigating factors are presented. The proposed model utilizes the inherent security features of Blockchain technology to address the security and privacy concerns that arise in data pipelines. The model is designed to ensure data integrity, confidentiality, and authenticity in a decentralized manner. The model is evaluated in a hybrid environment using a prototype implementation and simulation experiments with outcomes that demonstrate advantages over traditional approaches for a tamper-proof and immutable data pipeline for data authenticity and integrity using a confidential ledger.