Description:Technical Field:
The present invention relates to Information technology, and in particular, relates to Secure Document Verification System using Blockchain Technology in an IoT-based Cloud Environment
Background of Invention:
In today's digital landscape, the exchange and storage of sensitive documents within cloud environments have become prevalent. However, ensuring the authenticity and integrity of these documents presents significant challenges. Traditional centralized systems often fall short of providing robust security measures, making them susceptible to hacking, data breaches, unauthorized access, and fraudulent activities.
To address these challenges, blockchain technology has emerged as a promising solution. Originally developed for secure and transparent transactions in cryptocurrencies, blockchain offers unique features such as decentralization, immutability, and transparency. By leveraging these characteristics, blockchain technology provides enhanced security and integrity for data storage and verification.
Integrating blockchain technology with an Internet of Things (IoT)-based cloud environment opens up new possibilities for secure document verification. The IoT encompasses a network of interconnected devices, sensors, and systems that generate a vast amount of data. This data often includes documents that need to be exchanged, stored, and verified securely.
By combining blockchain technology with the IoT-based cloud environment, a secure document verification system can be established. This system leverages the decentralized nature of blockchain to eliminate the reliance on a central authority, reducing the risk of single points of failure. Additionally, the immutability of blockchain ensures that documents stored within the system cannot be tampered with, providing a reliable method for verifying their authenticity and integrity.
The integration of blockchain technology into the IoT-based cloud environment for document verification offers several advantages. It provides a tamper-proof and transparent system for recording and verifying document transactions. The decentralized nature of the blockchain network ensures that no single entity has control over the stored documents, minimizing the risks associated with data manipulation or unauthorized access. The cryptographic techniques employed in the system further enhance security, protecting sensitive information from potential threats.
Industries such as finance, healthcare, legal, and government sectors can benefit greatly from a secure document verification system in the IoT-based cloud environment. It can streamline document management processes, improve data integrity, and facilitate compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Moreover, the system's compatibility with existing cloud infrastructures and IoT devices enables seamless integration, allowing organizations to leverage their existing technology investments.
A secure document verification system that utilizes blockchain technology in an IoT-based cloud environment offers a robust solution to the challenges of document authenticity and integrity is the need. By combining the benefits of decentralization, immutability, and cryptographic techniques, the system should ensure secure and trustworthy document verification, enhancing security, transparency, and efficiency across various industries.
Summary
The present invention discloses a secure document verification system that employs blockchain technology in an IoT-based cloud environment. The system provides a tamper-proof and reliable method for verifying the authenticity and integrity of documents exchanged within the cloud environment. By utilizing distributed ledger technology and cryptographic techniques, the system ensures secure document storage, authentication, and verification.
To further clarify the advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read concerning the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of a secure document verification system utilizing blockchain technology in an IoT-based cloud environment in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates a flow chart of a method for secure document verification in an IoT-based cloud environment using blockchain technology in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 3 illustrates an architecture of a secure document verification system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Further, skilled artisans will appreciate those elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
Detailed Description
For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.
Reference throughout this specification to “an aspect”, “another aspect” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components proceeded by "comprises...a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in detail concerning the accompanying drawings.
The functional units described in this specification have been labeled as devices. A device may be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as processors, digital signal processors, central processing units, field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, cloud processing systems, or the like. The devices may also be implemented in software for execution by various types of processors. An identified device may include executable code and may, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions, which may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, function, or another construct. Nevertheless, the executable of an identified device need not be physically located together but may comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations which, when joined logically together, comprise the device and achieve the stated purpose of the device.
Indeed, an executable code of a device or module could be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different code segments, among different applications, and across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated herein within the device and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may be collected as a single data set or may be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and may exist, at least partially, as electronic signals on a system or network.
Reference throughout this specification to “a select embodiment,” “one embodiment,” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter. Thus, appearances of the phrases “a select embodiment,” “in one embodiment,” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment.
Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the disclosed subject matter can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the disclosed subject matter.
In accordance with the exemplary embodiments, the disclosed computer programs or modules can be executed in many exemplary ways, such as an application that is resident in the memory of a device or as a hosted application that is being executed on a server and communicating with the device application or browser via several standard protocols, such as TCP/IP, HTTP, XML, SOAP, REST, JSON and other sufficient protocols. The disclosed computer programs can be written in exemplary programming languages that execute from memory on the device or from a hosted server, such as BASIC, COBOL, C, C++, Java, Pascal, or scripting languages such as JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP, Perl or other sufficient programming languages.
Some of the disclosed embodiments include or otherwise involve data transfer over a network, such as communicating various inputs or files over the network. The network may include, for example, one or more of the Internet, Wide Area Networks (WANs), Local Area Networks (LANs), analog or digital wired and wireless telephone networks (e.g., a PSTN, Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDN), a cellular network, and Digital Subscriber Line (xDSL)), radio, television, cable, satellite, and/or any other delivery or tunneling mechanism for carrying data. The network may include multiple networks or sub-networks, each of which may include, for example, a wired or wireless data pathway. The network may include a circuit-switched voice network, a packet-switched data network, or any other network able to carry electronic communications. For example, the network may include networks based on the Internet protocol (IP) or asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and may support voice using, for example, VoIP, Voice-over-ATM, or other comparable protocols used for voice data communications. In one implementation, the network includes a cellular telephone network configured to enable the exchange of text or SMS messages.
Examples of the network include but are not limited to, a personal area network (PAN), a storage area network (SAN), a home area network (HAN), a campus area network (CAN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a virtual private network (VPN), an enterprise private network (EPN), Internet, a global area network (GAN), and so forth.
Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of a secure document verification system utilizing blockchain technology in an IoT-based cloud environment in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system (100) includes an IoT device component (102) comprising sensors (102a), actuators (102b), and smart devices (102c) for generating documents to be verified, wherein sensors (102a) comprising environmental sensors, biometric sensors, and optical sensors for capturing document-related data and contextual information, wherein actuators (102b) comprising printers, scanners, and electronic signature devices for document generation and physical document interaction. And smart devices (102c) comprising smartphones, tablets, or wearable devices for generating and managing documents to be verified.
In an embodiment, a cloud environment component (104) is used for providing storage and computing resources for document management and verification, including document upload and retrieval functionality.
In an embodiment, a blockchain network component (106) comprising distributed nodes for maintaining a decentralized ledger, recording document transactions, and cryptographic hashes is used in the proposed system.
In an embodiment, a document verification engine component (108) is used for utilizing cryptographic techniques and blockchain records for verifying the authenticity and integrity of documents, including hash generation, transaction recording, and verification result determination functionality.
In an embodiment, a user interface component (110) is used for enabling user interaction, document upload, and displaying verification results.
In an embodiment, the IoT device component communicates with the cloud environment, facilitating document generation, upload, and retrieval, wherein the cloud environment component ensures secure storage and retrieval of uploaded documents within a scalable and secure infrastructure.
In an embodiment, the blockchain network component maintains a decentralized ledger, recording document transactions and cryptographic hashes to ensure immutability and transparency, wherein the document verification engine component generates cryptographic hashes of uploaded documents, records them as transactions on the blockchain network, and determines the authenticity and integrity of submitted documents by comparing their hashes with the stored transactions.
In another embodiment, the blockchain network component further comprises a. A consensus protocol for reaching agreement among distributed nodes on the validity and order of document transactions. b. A cryptographic algorithm for generating and verifying cryptographic hashes of documents and transactions. c. A decentralized ledger for recording document transactions, including document creation, modification, and verification events.
In another embodiment, the document verification engine component further comprises a. A hash generation module for computing cryptographic hashes of documents based on predetermined algorithms. b. A transaction recording module for securely storing document-related transactions in the blockchain network component. c. A verification result determination module for analyzing document attributes, cryptographic hashes, and blockchain records to determine the authenticity and integrity of documents.
In another embodiment, the IoT device component communicates with the cloud environment, facilitating document generation, upload, and retrieval, wherein the cloud environment component ensures secure storage and retrieval of uploaded documents within a scalable and secure infrastructure.
In an embodiment, the user interface component allows users to upload documents for verification and displays verification results indicating the authenticity and integrity of the submitted documents, wherein the blockchain network component's decentralized ledger serves as an audit trail, providing a transparent and traceable record of all document transactions for compliance, legal, and regulatory purposes.
In an embodiment, the IoT device component (102), cloud environment component (104), blockchain network component (106), document verification engine component (108), and user interface component (110) may be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as processors, digital signal processors, central processing units, field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, cloud processing systems, or the like.
In another embodiment, the blockchain network component further comprises a first blockchain (106a) contains a plurality of primary nodes (112), a second blockchain (106b) contains a plurality of secondary nodes (114), a certification broadcasting processor (106c) for generating certificates, and a certificate verification processor (106d) for verifying the generated certificate verification and providing or blocking access to the certificate based on the result of a verification request, wherein the content information and metadata information are included in the data used to store the certificate, wherein the content information is information that appears on a document viewing screen, whereas the metadata information is a set of information about the certificate other than the content information, wherein the certification broadcasting processor (106c) creates a first hash value using the content and metadata information and creates a second hash value by fusing the first hash value with the authentication information, wherein the recipient information submitted while issuing the certificate is among the authentication data, wherein the certificate verification processor (106d) is configured to perform verification by comparing whether the generated second hash value and the comparison target hash value match, wherein the graphical user interface requests a user to log in and generates a hash value to be compared based on the information obtained at the time of logging in.
In another embodiment, the certificate verification processor (106d) comprises a live broadcasting screen for broadcasting the generated certificate and a graphical user interface for requesting verification of the certificate from the certificate verification processor (106d).
In another embodiment, the content information is selected from the certificate phrase information, subject information of the certificate, and certificate issuing subject information, wherein the metadata information comprises timestamp information, business number information, location information, corporate identity (CI) information of the recipient, usage information, period information, date of birth information, and country information of the issuer.
In another embodiment, the initial transaction connected to the certificate's generation is transmitted from the certification broadcasting processor (106c) to the first primary node (112), wherein the first transaction received by the first primary node (112) is sent to the main blockchain, which is what distinguishes it from the sub-blockchain, wherein delivering the initial transaction on the main blockchain through the link between the second primary node (112) and the second sub-node is what gives it its distinctive characteristics.
In one embodiment, an optical character recognition unit is used for extracting text information from images in the personal information area and machine-readable area, wherein by cross-validating the character information extracted from the machine-readable area and the character information extracted from the personal information area, the reliability of the text information is calculated, wherein if the character information extracted from the machine-readable area and the personal information area are the same, the reliability level is high, wherein the reliability is determined as an intermediate step when only one of the text information extracted from the personal information area and the text information extracted from the machine-readable area is recognized as an optical character, and as a low level when neither of the text information extracted from the personal information area nor the text information extracted from the machine-readable area.
In one embodiment, a cloud server platform is employed for automatically documenting picture files with document data and offering learned object detection APIs or optical character recognition APIs for usage in web or application development, wherein the cloud server platform is configured to store digital signature long-term storage data and digital signature data for verifying the electronic document including the digital signature long-term storage data, wherein the digital signature long-term storage data is based on the metadata information.
Figure 2 illustrates a flow chart of a method for secure document verification in an IoT-based cloud environment using blockchain technology in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. At step (202) the method (200) includes generating documents to be verified using IoT devices comprising sensors, actuators, and smart devices.
At step (204) the method (200) includes uploading the generated documents to a cloud environment providing storage and computing resources.
At step (206) the method (200) includes generating a cryptographic hash of the uploaded documents using a secure hash algorithm.
At step (208) the method (200) includes recording the generated cryptographic hash and relevant metadata as a transaction on a blockchain network comprising distributed nodes.
At step (210) the method (200) includes verifying the authenticity and integrity of a submitted document by retrieving the document, generating its cryptographic hash, and comparing it with the stored transaction on the blockchain network.
At step (212) the method (200) includes determining the verification result indicating whether the submitted document is authentic or has been tampered with.
At step (214) the method (200) includes displaying the verification result through a user interface.
In an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of encrypting and securely storing the uploaded documents in the cloud environment, wherein the blockchain network maintains a decentralized ledger, ensuring the immutability and transparency of recorded document transactions and cryptographic hashes.
In an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of securing document storage and transmission within the IoT-based cloud environment using robust encryption techniques, wherein the verification result is determined by comparing the cryptographic hash of the submitted document with the stored transaction on the blockchain network, indicating the authenticity and integrity of the document.
In an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of leveraging consensus mechanisms within the blockchain network to verify and validate recorded transactions, ensuring the integrity of the document verification process, wherein the user interface allows users to upload documents for verification and displays the verification results indicating the authenticity and integrity of the submitted documents.
In an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of maintaining an audit trail by utilizing the transparent nature of the blockchain network, providing a transparent and traceable record of all document transactions for compliance, legal, and regulatory purposes, wherein the IoT devices communicate with the cloud environment to facilitate seamless document generation, upload, and retrieval.
System Architecture
The secure document verification system comprises the following components:
a. IoT Devices: IoT devices, such as sensors, actuators, and smart devices, communicate with the cloud environment and generate data or documents to be verified.
b. Cloud Environment: A scalable and secure cloud infrastructure that provides storage and computing resources for document management and verification.
c. Blockchain Network: A distributed network of nodes that maintains a decentralized ledger for storing document transactions and cryptographic hashes.
d. Document Verification Engine: An intelligent module that verifies the authenticity and integrity of documents using cryptographic techniques and blockchain records.
e. User Interface: A user-friendly interface that allows users to interact with the system, upload documents, and view verification results.
Document Verification Process
a. Document Upload: Users upload documents to the cloud environment via the user interface. The documents are encrypted using a unique user key and stored in the cloud.
b. Hash Generation: The document verification engine generates a cryptographic hash of the uploaded document using a secure hash algorithm, such as SHA-256.
c. Transaction Recording: The hash value, along with relevant metadata, is recorded as a transaction on the blockchain network. This transaction serves as a digital fingerprint of the document.
d. Blockchain Consensus: The blockchain network verifies and validates the new transaction through consensus mechanisms, ensuring its immutability and integrity.
e. Document Retrieval: When a document needs verification, the user submits the document to the system. The document verification engine generates a hash of the submitted document and compares it with the stored blockchain transaction.
f. Verification Result: The system provides a verification result indicating whether the document has been tampered with or is authentic. This result is presented to the user via the user interface.
The secure document verification system described herein offers an innovative approach to ensure the authenticity and integrity of documents within an IoT-based cloud environment. By leveraging the decentralized and immutable nature of blockchain technology, the system provides a secure and tamper-proof method for document verification. The system's enhanced security measures, transparency, and compatibility make it suitable for a wide range of industries, addressing the challenges associated with document authenticity and integrity in the digital age.
the secure document verification system utilizing blockchain technology in an IoT-based cloud environment offers a comprehensive solution for ensuring the authenticity and integrity of documents in a secure and tamper-proof manner. By integrating IoT devices, cloud infrastructure, blockchain technology, and a document verification engine, the system provides a robust and transparent process for document verification.
The IoT device component captures and generates the documents to be verified, while the cloud environment component provides the necessary storage and computing resources for efficient document management. The blockchain network component maintains a decentralized ledger, recording document transactions and cryptographic hashes to ensure immutability and transparency.
The document verification engine component utilizes cryptographic techniques to generate and compare hashes, recording transactions on the blockchain network and determining the authenticity and integrity of submitted documents. The user interface component facilitates user interaction, allowing document upload and displaying verification results.
To enhance security, the system incorporates robust encryption techniques to protect document storage and transmission within the IoT-based cloud environment. The decentralized nature of the blockchain network eliminates single points of failure and provides a transparent and traceable audit trail for compliance and regulatory purposes.
The system is designed to be compatible with existing cloud infrastructures and IoT devices, enabling seamless integration without disruption. It finds applications across various industries such as finance, healthcare, legal, and government sectors, where the assurance of document authenticity and integrity is critical.
In summary, the secure document verification system offers a powerful solution to address the challenges of document verification in the IoT-based cloud environment, leveraging the decentralized and transparent nature of blockchain technology to provide a secure and trustworthy verification process.
Security and Benefits
a. Immutability: Documents stored on the blockchain are immutable and resistant to tampering. Any attempt to modify a document will result in a mismatch between the generated hash and the stored transaction, alerting users to potential fraud.
b. Decentralization: By leveraging a decentralized blockchain network, the system eliminates the reliance on a central authority, reducing the risk of single points of failure and enhancing security.
c. Transparency: The blockchain's transparent nature allows all participants in the network to access and verify the transactions, ensuring transparency and accountability in the document verification process.
d. Data Integrity: The use of cryptographic hashes ensures the integrity of the documents. Even a small change in the document will result in a completely different hash value, alerting users to any unauthorized modifications.
e. Enhanced Security: The system incorporates robust encryption techniques to secure document storage and transmission within the cloud environment. User keys and access controls further enhance the system's security measures.
f. Audit Trail: The blockchain's transaction history serves as an audit trail, providing a transparent and traceable record of all document transactions. This feature is beneficial for compliance, legal, and regulatory purposes.
g. Efficient and Scalable: The system's architecture allows for efficient and scalable document verification, making it suitable for handling large volumes of documents within the IoT-based cloud environment.
h. Cross-Industry Applicability: The secure document verification system can be applied across various industries, including finance, healthcare, legal, and government sectors, where the authenticity and integrity of documents are of utmost importance.
i. Compatibility with Existing Systems: The system is designed to be compatible with existing cloud infrastructures and IoT devices, enabling seamless integration without significant disruptions.
The secure document verification system using blockchain technology in an IoT-based cloud environment incorporates several techniques and algorithms to ensure the integrity and security of the document verification process. These include cryptographic techniques, consensus mechanisms, and secure hash algorithms.
Cryptographic Techniques: The system utilizes cryptographic techniques to secure document storage, transmission, and verification. It employs symmetric and asymmetric encryption algorithms to encrypt and decrypt documents, ensuring confidentiality. Digital signatures are used to verify the authenticity of documents and ensure non-repudiation. Public-key infrastructure (PKI) is employed to manage digital certificates and establish trust between entities involved in the verification process.
Consensus Mechanisms: The blockchain network component of the system employs consensus mechanisms to validate and verify document transactions recorded on the blockchain. Popular consensus algorithms such as Proof-of-Work (PoW) or Proof-of-Stake (PoS) are used to achieve agreement among the distributed nodes in the network. These mechanisms ensure that transactions are legitimate and prevent unauthorized modifications to the blockchain.
Secure Hash Algorithms: Secure hash algorithms, such as SHA-256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256-bit), are utilized to generate unique cryptographic hashes of the documents. These hash functions transform the document content into a fixed-size hash value that uniquely represents the document. The generated hashes serve as digital fingerprints, ensuring the integrity and non-repudiation of the documents. The system compares the generated hash of a submitted document with the stored hash on the blockchain to verify its authenticity and detect any tampering.
Data Encryption Standard (DES) and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES): DES and AES are symmetric encryption algorithms used to encrypt and decrypt the documents stored in the cloud environment. These algorithms employ a secret key to transform the document data into an unreadable format, ensuring its confidentiality. The encrypted documents are securely stored and transmitted within the IoT-based cloud environment, protecting them from unauthorized access.
Digital Signatures: Digital signature algorithms, such as RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) or Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), are employed to sign the documents and verify their authenticity. The digital signature is generated using the private key of the signing entity and can be verified using the corresponding public key. This ensures that the document has not been tampered with and provides non-repudiation, as only the signer possesses the private key.
Public-Key Infrastructure (PKI): PKI is a framework used to manage digital certificates, public keys, and the associated trust relationships. The system utilizes PKI to issue and manage digital certificates for entities involved in the document verification process. These certificates contain public keys and are used to establish secure communication channels, verify digital signatures, and authenticate the participants.
Overall, the combination of cryptographic techniques, consensus mechanisms, and secure hash algorithms in the present invention ensures the secure and tamper-proof verification of documents in the IoT-based cloud environment. These techniques provide robust security measures, integrity assurance, and authentication mechanisms to safeguard the documents throughout the verification process.
In an embodiment, the document verification engine component performs the following functions:
Hash Comparison: It compares the cryptographic hash of the document generated by the hash generation module with the corresponding hash stored in the blockchain records. By comparing the hashes, the component can verify if the document has remained unchanged since it was initially recorded in the blockchain.
Transaction Verification: The document verification engine examines the blockchain records to validate the transactions associated with the document. It verifies the integrity and legitimacy of each transaction related to the document, ensuring that they have been properly recorded and authorized within the blockchain network.
Blockchain Consensus: The component leverages the consensus mechanism of the blockchain network to establish agreement among distributed nodes regarding the validity and order of document transactions. It ensures that all nodes within the blockchain network reach a consensus on the authenticity of the document and its associated transactions.
Cryptographic Signature Verification: The document verification engine verifies cryptographic signatures associated with the document and its transactions. It uses public key cryptography to validate the digital signatures, ensuring that they were generated by authorized entities and that the document's integrity has not been compromised.
Audit Trail Reconstruction: By analyzing the blockchain records, the component reconstructs the complete audit trail of the document, providing a transparent and immutable history of all transactions and activities performed on the document within the blockchain network. This enables traceability and facilitates auditing and forensic analysis if required.
Trust Validation: Through the use of blockchain technology and cryptographic techniques, the document verification engine establishes trust in the document and its associated records. It provides verifiable proof of the document's authenticity, integrity, and the legitimacy of its transactions, enhancing confidence in the verification process.
Figure 3 illustrates an architecture of a secure document verification system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The architecture includes the IoT device component used for generating electrical documents from hard documents using a plurality of sensors, actuators, and smart devices.
The cloud environment component is coupled to the IoT device component for providing storage and computing resources for document management and verification, including document upload and retrieval functionality.
The blockchain network component is coupled to the cloud environment component and comprises a plurality of distributed nodes for maintaining a decentralized ledger, recording document transactions, and cryptographic hashes.
In one embodiment, the blockchain network component further comprises a first blockchain (106a) containing at least two secondary nodes (114) and two primary nodes (112) participating. The blockchain network further includes a second blockchain (106b) that contains the secondary nodes (114).
Based on the main transaction, the first blockchain (106a) can create a first block, and the second blockchain (106b) can create a second block within a predetermined cycle. In other words, a verification process is not used or blocks created between the first blockchain (106a) and the second blockchain (106b) are not connected to one another.
However, the first blockchain (106a) and the second blockchain (106b) could be connected only under certain circumstances, in which case a verification process might be necessary.
For instance, information about a transaction that generates certificates on the first blockchain (106a) may be shared with the sub-blockchain, as will be explained in more detail below. The second blockchain (106b) may carry out a verification query for the transaction based on the certificate creation transaction supplied in this manner.
In this approach, the connections between the blocks are blocked, but a connecting node can still send and receive data between the first blockchain (106a) and the second blockchain (106b). The main connection node is at least one of the primary nodes (112) participating in the first blockchain (106a), and the secondary nodes (114) are participating in the second blockchain (106b).
The topic that issues the items certified by the certification agency as an encrypted document is a certification broadcasting processor (106c), which is an organization for jointly administering the certification-related processes of several certification agencies. For instance, the certification broadcasting processor (106c) may play a part in integrating the contents checked or certified by multiple universities, encrypting it, and issuing it as a certificate if each of the certification authorities is a different university.
The present invention, however, is not limited to generating certificates directly by the certification broadcasting processor (106c) and will also include a scenario in which certificates are issued by several certification authorities as well as the collection and management of the issued certificates.
The certificate verification processor (106d) for verifying the generated certificate verification and providing or blocking access to the certificate based on the result of a verification request.
The graphical user interface requests the certificate verification processor (106d) to confirm the certificate's validity. The certificate verification processor (106d) requests a hash value from the secondary node (114) of the second blockchain (106b) after receiving the validation request. This will be used to validate data using a hash value. Currently, the hash value that was requested corresponds to the certificate that has to be checked, and the certificate verification processor (106d) utilizes both the hash value and a code (for instance, a file name) to identify the certificate.
The hash value obtained from a target certificate for which a user submits a certificate browsing request constitutes the comparison target hash value. This hash value is generated by the graphical user interface and may also refer to a target certificate. In other words, it refers to a hash value that the certificate viewer (the subject certificate to be examined) acquired from the subject certificate.
The document verification engine component is coupled to the blockchain network component for utilizing cryptographic techniques and blockchain records for verifying the authenticity and integrity of documents, including hash generation, transaction recording, and verification result determination functionality.
The user interface component is coupled to the document verification engine component for enabling user interaction, document upload, and displaying verification results.
The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of material, are possible. The scope of embodiments is at least as broad as given by the following claims.
Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any component(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or component of any or all the claims. , Claims:1. A secure document verification system utilizing blockchain technology in an IoT-based cloud environment, comprising:
a. an IoT device component comprising sensors, actuators, and smart devices for generating documents to be verified, wherein sensors comprising environmental sensors, biometric sensors, and optical sensors for capturing document-related data and contextual information; actuators comprising printers, scanners, and electronic signature devices for document generation and physical document interaction and smart devices comprising smartphones, tablets, or wearable devices for generating and managing documents to be verified.
b. a cloud environment component providing storage and computing resources for document management and verification, including document upload and retrieval functionality;
c. a blockchain network component comprising distributed nodes for maintaining a decentralized ledger, recording document transactions, and cryptographic hashes;
d. a document verification engine component utilizing cryptographic techniques and blockchain records for verifying the authenticity and integrity of documents, including hash generation, transaction recording, and verification result determination functionality;
e. a user interface component enabling user interaction, document upload, and displaying verification results, wherein the blockchain network component maintains a decentralized ledger, recording document transactions and cryptographic hashes to ensure immutability and transparency, and wherein the document verification engine component generates cryptographic hashes of uploaded documents, records them as transactions on the blockchain network and determines the authenticity and integrity of submitted documents by comparing their hashes with the stored transactions.
2. The secure document verification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the blockchain network component further comprises: a. A consensus protocol for reaching agreement among distributed nodes on the validity and order of document transactions, b. A cryptographic algorithm for generating and verifying cryptographic hashes of documents and transactions, and c. A decentralized ledger for recording document transactions, including document creation, modification, and verification events.

3. The secure document verification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the document verification engine component further comprises: a. A hash generation module for computing cryptographic hashes of documents based on predetermined algorithms, b. A transaction recording module for securely storing document-related transactions in the blockchain network component, and c. A verification result determination module for analyzing document attributes, cryptographic hashes, and blockchain records to determine the authenticity and integrity of documents, and

wherein the IoT device component communicates with the cloud environment, facilitating document generation, upload, and retrieval, and wherein the cloud environment component ensures secure storage and retrieval of uploaded documents within a scalable and secure infrastructure, and wherein the user interface component allows users to upload documents for verification and displays verification results indicating the authenticity and integrity of the submitted documents, and wherein the blockchain network component's decentralized ledger serves as an audit trail, providing a transparent and traceable record of all document transactions for compliance, legal, and regulatory purposes.

4. The secure document verification system of claim 1, wherein the blockchain network component further comprises:
a. a first blockchain contains a plurality of primary nodes;
b. a second blockchain contains a plurality of secondary nodes;
c. a certification broadcasting processor for generating certificates;
d. a certificate verification processor for verifying the generated certificate verification and providing or blocking access to the certificate based on the result of a verification request;
wherein the content information and metadata information are included in the data used to store the certificate, wherein the content information is information that appears on a document viewing screen, whereas the metadata information is a set of information about the certificate other than the content information;
wherein the certification broadcasting processor creates a first hash value using the content and metadata information and creates a second hash value by fusing the first hash value with the authentication information;
wherein the recipient information submitted while issuing the certificate is among the authentication data; and
wherein the certificate verification processor is configured to perform verification by comparing whether the generated second hash value and the comparison target hash value match, wherein the graphical user interface requests a user to log in and generates a hash value to be compared based on the information obtained at the time of logging in.
5. The secure document verification system of claim 1, wherein the certificate verification processor comprises a live broadcasting screen for broadcasting the generated certificate and a graphical user interface for requesting verification of the certificate from the certificate verification processor, and wherein the content information is selected from the certificate phrase information, subject information of the certificate, and certificate issuing subject information, wherein the metadata information comprises timestamp information, business number information, location information, corporate identity (CI) information of the recipient, usage information, period information, date of birth information, and country information of the issuer.

6. The secure document verification system of claim 5, wherein the initial transaction connected to the certificate's generation is transmitted from the certification broadcasting processor to the first primary node, wherein the first transaction received by the first primary node is sent to the main blockchain, which is what distinguishes it from the sub-blockchain, wherein delivering the initial transaction on the main blockchain through the link between the second primary node and the second sub-node is what gives it its distinctive characteristics.

7. The secure document verification system of claim 5, further comprises an optical character recognition unit for extracting text information from images in the personal information area and machine-readable area, wherein by cross-validating the character information extracted from the machine-readable area and the character information extracted from the personal information area, the reliability of the text information is calculated, wherein if the character information extracted from the machine-readable area and the personal information area are the same, the reliability level is high, wherein the reliability is determined as an intermediate step when only one of the text information extracted from the personal information area and the text information extracted from the machine-readable area is recognised as an optical character, and as a low level when neither of the text information extracted from the personal information area nor the text information extracted from the machine-readable area are.

8. The secure document verification system of claim 1, further comprises a cloud server platform for automatically documenting picture files with document data and offering learned object detection APIs or optical character recognition APIs for usage in web or application development, wherein the cloud server platform is configured to store digital signature long-term storage data and digital signature data for verifying the electronic document including the digital signature long-term storage data, wherein the digital signature long-term storage data is based on the metadata information.

9. A method for secure document verification in an IoT-based cloud environment using blockchain technology, comprising the steps of:
a. Generating documents to be verified using IoT devices comprising sensors, actuators, and smart devices;
b. Uploading the generated documents to a cloud environment providing storage and computing resources;
c. Generating a cryptographic hash of the uploaded documents using a secure hash algorithm;
d. Recording the generated cryptographic hash and relevant metadata as a transaction on a blockchain network comprising distributed nodes;
e. Verifying the authenticity and integrity of a submitted document by retrieving the document, generating its cryptographic hash, and comparing it with the stored transaction on the blockchain network;
f. Determining the verification result indicating whether the submitted document is authentic or has been tampered with;
g. Displaying the verification result through a user interface, wherein said uploaded documents are encrypted and securely storied in the cloud environment, wherein the blockchain network maintains a decentralized ledger, ensuring the immutability and transparency of recorded document transactions and cryptographic hashes; and securing document storage and transmission within the IoT-based cloud environment using robust encryption techniques, wherein the verification result is determined by comparing the cryptographic hash of the submitted document with the stored transaction on the blockchain network, indicating the authenticity and integrity of the document.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:
leveraging consensus mechanisms within the blockchain network to verify and validate recorded transactions, ensuring the integrity of the document verification process, wherein the user interface allows users to upload documents for verification and displays the verification results indicating the authenticity and integrity of the submitted documents;
maintaining an audit trail by utilizing the transparent nature of the blockchain network, providing a transparent and traceable record of all document transactions for compliance, legal, and regulatory purposes, wherein the IoT devices communicate with the cloud environment to facilitate seamless document generation, upload, and retrieval.