SECURE DATA TRANSFER THROUGH INTER-PLANETARY FILE SYSTEM (IPFS) AND BLOCKCHAIN-EMBEDDED SMART CONTRACT IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

Abstract

The introduction of Smart contract-embedded blockchain systems incorporated with Building Information Model (BIM) in construction projects brought about the transformation of public and corporate management. The system, although it has contributed to infrastructure development, still faces vulnerabilities such as eavesdropping, data tampering, and possible attacks, requiring a secure communication channel. In this research a secure system for transferring data through the Inter-Planetary File System (IPFS), BIM and a blockchain- embedded smart contract is developed. The system used a symmetric, multi-level authority and encryption to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the transferred data. The use of IPFS and a smart contract allows for decentralized and distributed storage and transfer of data, while the use of multi-level authority and encryption provides additional security measures to protect against eavesdropping, data tampering and theft. The model developed was tested alongside a transposition cipher and RSA cipher against known cryptosystem attacks, dictionary attacks, and brute force attacks. The results showed that the proposed model after showing 0%- character placement accuracy for dictionary attack, known cryptosystem attack and brute force attack, shares the same 0% with RSA. The resulting system has the potential to revolutionize the way data is transferred and stored, with applications in various industries and contexts because it requires less technical know-how and capability to deploy when compared to modern cryptographic techniques.