Towards Industry 4.0: Secure Machine-to-Machine Communication with blockchain.

The industry 4.0 is transforming factory and industries. Machines do not work in isolation anymore. They are in touch with one another via the internet. This is referred to as machine-to-machine (M2M) communication.

This communication allows machines to exchange data, decide and help to enhance production without human assistance. Nevertheless, with increased sharing of data between machines, security is a highly thorny matter.

This is the point that the blockchain technology can play a very significant role in.
Machine to machine communication is the communication where sensors, robots and smart devices exchange information in real time.

These machines manage production lines, equipment health and supply chain. Any attack or change of this communication may result in incorrect decision, system malfunction or even safety hazard. In my opinion, this communication is something that must be secured; otherwise, Industry 4.0 will not be successful.

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Blockchain is a cyber technology which stores information in a blockchain. All the blocks are linked to the other ones and once some information is inserted it is hard to modify it. This renders blockchain extremely safe and reliable.

Blockchain may be deployed in Industry 4.0 to secure the data, which machines are exchanging. All interactions between machines can be marked on the blockchain and are therefore easily tracked and verified.

Decentralization is one of the key benefits of blockchain in M2M communication. Data sharing is done on many nodes as opposed to using a single central server. This minimises the risk of point failure.

Although any component of the system may be compromised, the rest of it can still carry on with its normal functioning. I consider it as an effective remedy to several security challenges encountered in contemporary industries.

Authentication and trust with blockchain are also assisted. Machines should be certain that they are talking to the correct machines. Before communication begins, blockchain can lead to storing digital identities on the machines and verifying them.

This helps in blocking counterfeit devices into the system. Moreover, machines can program smart contracts with actions like paying or receiving payments, maintaining machines, and events like receiving data, among others.

Finally, blockchain is an effective secure and reliable method of safeguarding machine-to-machine communication in Industry 4.0.

It provides integrity of data, enhancement of trust, and minimization of security threats. With the ever-increasing smartness in the industries, I am convinced that blockchain will be instrumental in the creation of robust, efficient, and reliable industrial systems.