Abstract Nanotechnology has become a crucial and influential area of study with diverse applications. Its incorporation into the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to the development of the Internet of Nano Things (IoNT), which is transforming various sectors including healthcare, industrial operations, smart home technologies, aerospace, and defense. However, the adaptability of 6G may increase vulnerability to cyberattacks. This technology has the potential to transform current methods and significantly improve efficiency. Current research is dedicated to creating a secure and scalable framework specifically designed on a nanoscale for the healthcare industry. This has led to the development of the Internet of Nano Medical Things (IoNMT). But still, the distinctive features of nanotechnology present security concerns, especially related to privacy, confidentiality, reliability, latency, and the high costs associated with data storage. The system requires robust security to protect delay-sensitive data, ensuring transparency and resistance to unauthorized interference in IoNMT networks. This article describes a blockchain-based authentication system and the quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol to ensure secure communication and data storage in IoNMT networks. The proposed Q-BlockAuth is designed to handle real-time data with the least amount of latency through decentralised peer-to-peer edge servers. Comprehensive assessments, including Scyther software tool simulation and informal security assessment, confirm the protocol's performance. Additionally, simulations demonstrate that this protocol provides enhanced security and efficiency compared to existing alternatives.
Abstract Nanotechnology has become a crucial and influential area of study with diverse applications. Its incorporation into the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to the development of the Internet of Nano Things (IoNT), which is transforming various sectors including healthcare, industrial operations, smart home technologies, aerospace, and defense. However, the adaptability of 6G may increase vulnerability to cyberattacks. This technology has the potential to transform current methods and significantly improve efficiency. Current research is dedicated to creating a secure and scalable framework specifically designed on a nanoscale for the healthcare industry. This has led to the development of the Internet of Nano Medical Things (IoNMT). But still, the distinctive features of nanotechnology present security concerns, especially related to privacy, confidentiality, reliability, latency, and the high costs associated with data storage. The system requires robust security to protect delay-sensitive data, ensuring transparency and resistance to unauthorized interference in IoNMT networks. This article describes a blockchain-based authentication system and the quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol to ensure secure communication and data storage in IoNMT networks. The proposed Q-BlockAuth is designed to handle real-time data with the least amount of latency through decentralised peer-to-peer edge servers. Comprehensive assessments, including Scyther software tool simulation and informal security assessment, confirm the protocol's performance. Additionally, simulations demonstrate that this protocol provides enhanced security and efficiency compared to existing alternatives.
The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is a compelling networking paradigm integrating wireless communications sensors, connected devices, and embedded computing technologies. The IoMT involves the collection of real-time health data using sophisticated medical sensors. In recent years, the IoMT has become increasingly significant within the broader context of the Internet of Things (IoT). It provides accessibility for health monitoring and poses security obstacles to safeguarding the confidentiality and privacy of patient data. Therefore, this article presents a blockchain-integrated quantum authentication scheme in sensor-assisted IoMT networks. The proposed concept utilizes blockchain technology to achieve efficient patient authentication without the need for third-party entities. In addition, a secure quantum authentication scheme is designed not to require patients to authenticate themselves when communicating with multiple doctors simultaneously. This protocol explicitly addresses how clinicians can misuse their professional roles toward patients in IoMT networks. An evaluation analysis assesses the proposed technique’s efficacy compared to existing authentication schemes. The performance analyses demonstrate that the proposed protocol is resilient against various security attacks. Also, the practical usability of the quantum authentication scheme proved its importance as a significant improvement in communication security for IoMT networks.
The rapid expansion of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) networks has enabled continuous data collection from diverse medical sensors and devices, supporting real-time monitoring, diagnostics, and decision-making. However, the resource limitations of IoT nodes and the open nature of communication channels make healthcare data vulnerable to security and privacy breaches. To address these challenges, this paper presents a blockchain-assisted, privacy-preserving signature scheme leveraging Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) to ensure secure and trustworthy data sharing in Healthcare Internet of Things (H-IoT) environments. The proposed scheme integrates a quantum-designated verifier signature mechanism with a private blockchain infrastructure, where peer nodes validate and store healthcare data securely. Formal (software-based) and informal security analyses demonstrate the scheme's resistance to forgery, replay, and quantum attacks. Simulation experiments conducted in Python show that the proposed protocol achieves strong cryptographic performance, with a computational cost of 42.1ms and a communication overhead of 834 bits. Additionally, a blockchain-based prototype implementation quantifies the time required to append various numbers of blocks and process multiple healthcare transactions, confirming the scalability and practicality of the proposed solution. The results affirm that the scheme offers a reliable, efficient, and quantum-resilient framework for securing sensitive medical data across distributed IoMT healthcare systems.
The convergence of 6G communication technologies and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has revolutionized modern healthcare by enabling real-time monitoring, intelligent diagnosis, and remote patient management. However, the proliferation of interconnected medical devices also exposes the ecosystem to severe security challenges, including identity forgery, data tampering, and emerging quantum-based attacks. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a blockchain-assisted quantum signature framework for securing data exchange in 6G - enabled IoMT environments. The proposed framework leverages quantum digital signatures (QDS) based on entangled photon states to ensure message authenticity and non-repudiation, while blockchain technology provides decentralized trust management and immutable transaction logging. A Medical Authorization Center (MAC) coordinates identity registration, signature verification, and consensus-based access control among IoMT entities. Furthermore, smart contracts are utilized to automate trust evaluation and audit trails, thereby mitigating insider and replay attacks. Performance analysis using Qiskit simulations and IBM’s quantum backends demonstrates an average signature fidelity of 91% and a communication efficiency of 75.61%, validating the framework’s robustness for resource-constrained medical devices. By fusing quantum communication primitives with blockchain-enabled transparency, this work presents a scalable and tamper-resistant security solution for next-generation healthcare networks. The convergence of 6G communication technologies and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has revolutionized modern healthcare by enabling real-time monitoring, intelligent diagnosis, and remote patient management. However, the proliferation of interconnected medical devices also exposes the ecosystem to severe security challenges, including identity forgery, data tampering, and emerging quantum-based attacks. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a blockchain-assisted quantum signature framework for securing data exchange in 6G-enabled IoMT environments. The proposed framework leverages quantum digital signatures (QDS) based on entangled photon states to ensure message authenticity and non-repudiation, while blockchain technology provides decentralized trust management and immutable transaction logging. A Medical Authorization Center (MAC) coordinates identity registration, signature verification, and consensus-based access control among IoMT entities. Furthermore, smart contracts are utilized to automate trust evaluation and audit trails, thereby mitigating insider and replay attacks. Performance analysis using Qiskit simulations and IBM’s quantum backends demonstrates an average signature fidelity of 91% and a communication efficiency of 75.61%, validating the framework’s robustness for resource-constrained medical devices. By fusing quantum communication primitives with blockchain-enabled transparency, this work presents a scalable and tamper-resistant security solution for next-generation healthcare networks.
Abstract The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is revolutionizing the healthcare industry through connected medical devices and real-time data exchange. However, the sensitive nature of this data requires a security infrastructure capable of resisting both current and future threats, including those posed by quantum computing. This paper presents a unified framework that combines Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Blockchain, and Quantum Cryptography to secure IoMT systems. The SDN architecture is enhanced with a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) plane for quantum-safe session key generation and a Blockchain plane for decentralized identity verification. To improve efficiency, we introduce a self-mutable blockchain, blocks are automatically deleted after expiration to reduce storage and maintain scalability, while remaining tamper-resistant to attackers. The system utilizes Kyber, a lattice-based quantum-resistant algorithm, to mitigate future quantum threats. The proposed protocol was evaluated through mainnet simulation, BAN logic, and AVISPA formal verification, confirming strong security against classical and quantum attack vectors. This framework delivers a scalable, efficient, and future-ready solution for secure IoMT networks.
The rapid expansion and inherent resource limitations of Internet of Things (IoT) devices necessitate robust, future-proof security solutions, particularly against sophisticated data integrity threats and the imminent risk of quantum computing attacks. This paper provides a systematic literature review (SLR) of the architectural integration of blockchain with quantum technologies (quantum key distribution (QKD) and post-quantum cryptography (PQC)) for a two-stage trust model in IoT communication. This review summarizes existing methods and answers three key research questions. The results show that permissioned blockchains are primarily used for trust management to ensure the non-repudiation and immutability of data. Notably, there is a clear dividing line in the application of quantum solutions: QKD is particularly suitable for securing high-capacity backbone communications (server gateways), whereas PQC (especially lattice-based algorithms such as Kyber and Dilithium) is the mainstream resource-efficient solution for IoT terminals. However, this integration also has significant drawbacks, such as high latency due to blockchain consensus mechanisms and increased memory and CPU requirements from PQC implementations. The main challenge is the lack of standardized protocols for integrating QKD key management with smart contract functionality. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of current architectures, assesses their performance trade-offs, and outlines a clear research agenda aimed at developing standardized hybrid protocols for future trusted IoT systems and optimizing resource-efficient, quantum-resistant consensus mechanisms.
As we move toward the rollout of 6G networks, we're stepping into an era of groundbreaking technological advancements. These next-generation networks promise ultra-low latency and seamless integration with artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), unlocking a new level of connectivity and performance. However, with these powerful capabilities come significant security challenges. Traditional encryption methods may not be enough to protect the complex and highly sensitive data traveling through 6G networks. One of the most promising solutions lies in Quantum Communication, particularly Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)-a method that leverages the laws of quantum mechanics to enable highly secure encryption. This paper explores the emerging security risks in both terrestrial and satellite communication channels and reviews current research on integrating quantum communication into 6G infrastructure. Special attention is given to its potential within the metaverse, a rapidly evolving digital environment that demands robust and future-proof security frameworks. Key areas of focus include-Addressing security vulnerabilities in quantum communication, Enhancing infrastructure to support quantum technologies, Reducing error rates in quantum protocols. the paper aims to propose a flexible, forward-looking framework designed to ensure fast, secure communication for critical sectors such as finance, defense, and healthcare.