Securing IoT sensors using sharding-based blockchain network technology integration: A systematic review

Abstract

Sharding is an emerging blockchain technology that is used extensively in several fields such as finance, reputation systems, the IoT, and others because of its ability to secure and increase the number of transactions every second. In sharding-based technology, the blockchain is divided into several sub-chains, also known as shards, that enhance the network throughput. This paper aims to examine the impact of integrating sharding-based blockchain network technology in securing IoT sensors, which is further used for environmental monitoring. In this paper, the idea of integrating sharding-based blockchain technology is proposed, along with its advantages and disadvantages, by conducting a systematic literature review of studies based on sharding-based blockchain technology in recent years. Based on the research findings, sharding-based technology is beneficial in securing IoT systems by improving security, access, and transaction rates. The findings also suggest several issues, such as cross-shard transactions, synchronization issues, and the concentration of stakes. With an increased focus on showcasing the important trade-offs, this paper also offers several recommendations for further research on the implementation of blockchain network technology for securing IoT sensors with applications in environment monitoring. These valuable insights are further effective in facilitating informed decisions while integrating sharding-based technology in developing more secure and efficient decentralized networks for internet data centers (IDCs), and monitoring the environment by picking out key points of the data.