Linkable Ring Signature for Privacy Protection in Blockchain-Enabled IIoT

Area of Science:

• Cryptography
• Cybersecurity
• Computer Science

Background:

• Blockchain-enabled industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) systems face significant security challenges, including quantum computing threats and privacy disclosure.
• Existing security measures may not adequately address the evolving landscape of cyber threats in IIoT environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement a novel lattice-based linkable ring signature (LRS) scheme for enhanced privacy protection in blockchain-enabled IIoT.
• To provide robust security against quantum computing attacks and ensure user identity privacy.

Main Methods:

• Developed a new lattice-based LRS scheme utilizing trapdoor generation algorithms and rejection sampling lemmas.
• Integrated the LRS scheme into blockchain technology, incorporating stealth address and key image techniques.
• Conducted a comprehensive security analysis to validate correctness, anonymity, unforgeability, and linkability.

Main Results:

• The proposed LRS scheme demonstrates anti-quantum security and user anonymity.
• The scheme effectively protects identity privacy within the IIoT through anonymous blockchain transactions.
• It successfully resists double-spending attacks via signature linking.
• Performance simulations show smaller public key and signature sizes, with reduced computation overhead and time costs compared to existing schemes.

Conclusions:

• The novel lattice-based LRS scheme offers a more secure and practical solution for privacy protection in blockchain-enabled IIoT.
• The scheme provides essential anti-quantum security and robust identity privacy, addressing critical vulnerabilities in IIoT systems.