Advancements in distributed ledger technology for Internet of Things

Abstract

Internet of Things (IoT) is paving the way for different kinds of devices to be connected and properly communicated at a mass scale. However, conventional mechanisms used to sustain security and privacy cannot be directly applied to IoT whose topology is increasingly becoming decentralized. Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) on the other hand comprise varying forms of decentralized data structures that provide immutability through cryptographically linking blocks of data. To be able to build reliable, autonomous and trusted IoT platforms, DLT has the potential to provide security, privacy and decentralized operation while adhering to the limitations of IoT devices. The marriage of IoT and DLT technology is not very recent. In fact many projects have been focusing on this interesting combination to address the challenges of smart cities, smart grids, internet of everything and other decentralized applications, most based on blockchain structures. In this special issue, the focus is on the new and broader technical problems associated with the DLT-based security and backend platform solutions for IoT devices and applications.