This systematic literature review scrutinizes the implementation and analysis of zk-SNARK, zk-STARK, and Bulletproof non-interactive zero-knowledge proof (NIZKP) protocols in privacy-preserving applications across diverse sectors. Examining 43 research works published from 2015 to April 2023, we categorized findings into financial, medical, business, general, and other domains. Our analysis highlights significant variations in real-world performance across implementations utilizing NIZKP protocols. However, divergent methodologies in security analyses hindered conclusive comparisons. Addressing research gaps, our future endeavors aim to establish a real-world benchmark for these protocols.

Connectivity and data exchange are key features of Industry 4.0. In this paradigm, (Industrial) Internet of Things ((I)IoT) devices are a vital component facilitating the collection and transmission of environmental data from the physical sys- tem to the central station for processing and analysis(Digital Twin). However, although (I)IoT devices play a critical role in this process, they are not inherently equipped to run strong encryption mechanisms to secure the data they transmit over wired or wireless channels. This research aims to explore the potential of Digital Twins (DT) in securing Industry 4.0 appli- cations and the security mechanism employed to ensure con- fidentiality, integrity, and authentication of data communi- cated between (I)IoT and DT through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR). This systematic literature review, based on the analysis of 67 papers published between 2018 and 2023, un- derscores the evolving significance of Digital Twin technol- ogy, particularly within the ambit of Industry 4.0. The find- ings illuminate the pervasive influence of Digital Twin tech- nology across multiple industrial sectors. The result SLR re- vealed that DT is growing and being widely adopted as a se- curity tool particularly in Industry 4.0 using enabling tech- nology like machine learning, data analytics, blockchain, and 5G networks to provide security solutions such as intrusion detection, vulnerability assessment, cyber range, and threat intelligence.

This paper shows how the Generalized Novel Enhancement Quantum Representation (GNEQR) and the Novel Enhancement Quantum Representation (NEQR) can encrypt color and grayscale healthcare images with quantum algorithms. The proposed method ensures the security of medical media, which is crucial for safeguarding patient confidentiality and safety, and is supported by e-health systems. Healthcare facility staff members send cipher color images to the cloud, which they then receive at a different facility. By decrypting the content of the images, healthcare staff can securely assist users. C# and Asp.net core MVC on Visual Studio 2022 were utilized to implement the proposed encryption approach, and Azure cloud was used. The e-health system gives the proposed method a safe and effective way to be used in real life. The proposed algorithm uses bit-plane scrambling to scramble the original image. Then, a 9D chaotic map is utilized to generate an image key, which is used to produce the key image and the scrambled position. A quantum XOR operation is performed between the scrambled image and the scrambled position of the key image. The final encrypted image is made by mixing up the color channels of the image. A similar approach is followed for grayscale images, but instead of using GNEQR, a Novel Enhancement Quantum Representation (NEQR) is employed. Additionally, the color channels are not scrambled in this case. Analyses of numbers and simulations show that the proposed method is more effective, reliable, and useful than its classical counterpart. The proposed method can be used with different types of medical images, such as those from radiology and pathology, and can be used in telemedicine. It provides a secure way to transmit medical images without compromising patient privacy. Overall, the proposed framework for quantum encryption of healthcare images using GNEQR and NEQR could change how medical images are sent and protected. It is expected to impact the healthcare industry significantly and can be applied in various e-health systems.

All forms of data are meant to be secured. The rise in cyber-crime since beginning of the pandemic and the emergence of a variety of techniques and tactics utilized by malware authors has made identification and recovery difficult. LockBit ransom-ware has been in news in recent times. The APT behind deployment of this ransom-ware virus has compromised several organizations and the impacts are, worth more than millions, lives of people by stealing their personal identifiable information. It is important to understand the behavior of such malware, to block it and to identify the anti-analysis stuff it performs. The challenges here were a packed sample, a rebooting command-line trigger and encryption of several files that can possess high trouble to operations of any workplace.

The extension of emerging renewable energy sources such as wind and water turbines, solar panels, and the increasing usage of electric vehicles requires the supply and distribution of energy in a small device on local scale and it has created new methods of supplying and selling electricity. Middle buyers and end users can obtain the local energy with the peer-to-peer trading method in this large and hierarchical market. This method enables market to manage and exchange the electricity between major suppliers and medium and local levels. Blockchain technology is developing in peer-to-peer exchange of electricity and acts as a reliable, efficient and safe technology in the electricity trading market. In this method, while preserving the privacy of electricity users, by using smart contracts and by removing intermediaries in the energy supply and demand market, direct commercial interactions between energy suppliers and consumers are done. The Blockchain technology, while creating trust between the parties in the energy market, reduces the cost of electricity trading and increases its scalability with using the intermediate energy aggregators. In this research, the blockchain-based model, is presented for distribution and peer-to-peer transactions in the energy market. The suggested model provides the possibility of registration low-cost instant transactions at the power grid in any specific period of time. The above method, unlike periodic payments, provides immediate access to bills and small payments. Since the transactions outside the blockchain chain are not recorded, this system guarantees its honest and independent operation without fraud and failure. The smart contract method based on blockchain, reduces the transaction fees and speeds up electricity trading.

Physicians and scientists hope that health-data will provide new insights into improving medical care and optimizing healthcare costs. However, data protection laws in Europe often place limits on the use of patient data. During the COVID-19 pandemic, both digital immunity records and data on infections were needed for pandemic management. Using this example, the research project aims to create a system concept for vaccination, testing, and recovery proof called P3VT (Privacy Preserving Pass for Vaccination and Testing), that will make collected data available to research and policy pandemic management in real time and anonymized. P3VT was developed consistently considering the goals of privacy-by-design, data minimisation and transparency of the EU-GDPR. Expert interviews validated the system from medical, technical and privacy perspectives. P3VT offers the following advantages compared to the EU digital COVID certificate: Pseudonymized proof of vaccination, testing, and recovery, reducing misuse of sensitive personal data Transparency about the nature, timing, and purpose of the proof strengthens user trust Use of anonymous data improves pandemic management, and research P3VT is thus an exemplary solution for the comprehensive provision of health-data for research purposes in combination with high level of data protection. Further areas of application are conceivable.

Recently, blockchain-based IoT solutions have been proposed that address trust limitation by maintaining data consistency, immutability, and chronology in IoT environments. However, IoT ecosystems are resource-constrained and have low bandwidth and finite computing power of sensor nodes. Thus, the inclusion of blockchain requires an effective policy design regarding consensus and smart contract environments in heterogeneous IoT applications. Recent studies have presented blockchain as a potential solution in IoT, but an effective view of consensus and smart contract design to meet the end application requirements is an open problem. Motivated by the same, the survey presents the integration of suitable low-powered consensus protocols and smart contract design to assess and validate the blockchain-IoT ecosystems. We discuss the key blockchain concepts and present the scalability and performance issues of consensus protocols to support IoT. Further, we discuss smart contract vulnerabilities and blockchain attacks. Open issues and future directions are presented, supported through a case study of low-powered consensus protocol design in the blockchain- IoT ecosystem. The survey intends to drive novel solutions for future consensus and safe, smart contract designs to support applicative IoT ecosyst

The widespread use of networked, intelligent, and adaptable devices in various domains, such as smart cities and home automation, climate control, manufacturing and logistics, healthcare, education, and agriculture, has been hastened by recent developments in hardware and software technologies. In all these application domains, the concept of the Internet of Things ( helps to achieve process automation and decrease labor costs. One such subdomain is IoT Forensics which involves Digital Forensics concerning IoT devices, networks, or clouds. In this process of obtaining substantial evidence from the devices, networks, or cloud, a large amount of data and operations on said data are involved. Hence, looking through IoT Forensics through the methodology dealing with data, known as Data Analytics, is essential. This paper presents an interpretation of IoT Forensics from the standpoint of Data Analytics. To explain the same in detail, the paper focuses on IoT Forensics, its methodologies, and how they relate to data analytics stages. Towards the end, the paper discusses current developments in IoT forensics from the Data Analytics perspective, limitations observed in the existing technologies, adoption challenges, and possible future advancements.

Blockchain is emerging as a solution to secure healthcare records but faces certain shortcomings like transaction time, execution time, gas consumption, etc. The current article designed an extensive blockchain-based healthcare system (MyEasyHeathcare) with reduced gas consumption and execution time, along with enhanced security at three levels. At the first level, the professionals and patients get registered, which provides identity access management. Secondly, authorization is required for each registered entity by the owners. Lastly, the third level includes a doctor-patient relationship where a specific patient is assigned to a particular doctor by the hospital’s owner. The data is protected from the outer world and is preserved only between the doctor and the patient. Moreover, to include the majority of tasks for hospital management, the developed system incorporates a smart contract to record seven different parameters for patient diagnosis by physician and fifteen different parameters by a pathologist. The designed system is evaluated for the amount of gas consumed and execution cost to decide the usage in the real world; the results testify the proposed system is useful in the real world.