Internet of Things - Technology focus

By now most of us are familiar with blockchain, the technology underpinning cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Outside of cryptocurrency, blockchain has many purported use cases in scenarios that require an immutable ledger.  Rhetoric has elevated blockchain to godly status, labeling it as a bleeding edge technology poised to disrupt all facets of life, from voting, to smart guns, health data, stock trading, international shipping, and beyond.  We’ve seen a ton of other innovative blockchain ideas too, yet many are unproven or simply hypothetical. So, the question is, what projects are successfully implementing blockchain in practice?  In this article, we’ll strive to separate fact from fiction by showcasing 5 living projects that are actually using blockchain, with real-world results. We’ll gauge the viability of such projects, and see how proven use may affect the global climate and attitude toward blockchain adoption.

1. Arcade City: Peer-to-peer blockchain-based ridesharing

2. Helperbit:  Humanitarian fundraising vetted with blockchain

3. Boeing:  IoT-driven blockchain unites assembly line operations

4. Medicalchain:  Digitize health records and share access on the blockchain

5. CargoConX: A blockchain for the logistics and transport industry

But what about the companies successfully using blockchain with IoT?  ​ZEDEDA leverages unikernel technology to build a cloud-native edge computing platform. It’s designed to enable the hyper-scale required for real-time​ IoT​ edge applications, from self-driving cars to industrial robots. This cloud-native solution creates the framework required for blockchain integration within IoT.  Joel Vincent, the company’s CMO, explains, “As the world becomes more cyber-physical and connected, we’re creating cloud-native edge computing that will take the principles of cloud computing, allow developers to move applications to edge systems and out of the data center, ultimately shrinking the concept of real time… to microseconds to interpret data and make a car swerve. We’re doing this with a combination of distributed computing, peer-to-peer crypto-routing, embedded virtualization, and soon blockchain and smart contracts.”

Vincent believes that blockchain tech is pivotal to IoT’s success, postulating that the real value lies in “data provenance as well as value exchange.”  A data provenance service would allow an app developer to add devices to the network and have every piece of data tracked. The data could only be accessed by others with the express permission of the originator. “This service can be provided to that app by a platform via smart contracts and blockchain,” Vincent says.   Value exchange would remove the problem of ROI from having expensive technology in latent devices. When devices need to temporarily connect, “such as in a public safety app in a Smart City,” security cameras could collaborate through the blockchain, as needed, until the task was completed. Every security camera owner would be compensated and their camera then re-released.

Researchers at Kaspersky Lab have uncovered a new form of cryptojacking malware targeting corporations in multiple countries, the cybersecurity firm reported Thursday.  PowerGhost, a form of fileless malware – which uses a system's native processes to hijack a computer – has reportedly been spreading on corporate networks in India, Brazil, Colombia and Turkey. The software mines an undisclosed cryptocurrency once installed on a computer.   The miner "is capable of stealthily establishing itself in a system and spreading across large corporate networks infecting both workstations and servers," Kaspersky reported.   Illicit crypto miners have been rapidly rising in popularity among the web's criminal fraternity, being hidden in apps and websites to quietly harness user devices to earn the hackers cryptocurrency. Now it seems the methods they use are evolving.   "It appears the growing popularity and rates of cryptocurrencies have convinced the bad guys of the need to invest in new mining techniques – as our data demonstrates, miners are gradually replacing ransomware Trojans," said Kaspersky.