Secure Embedded Signal Processing Using Blockchain and Trusted Execution Environments
Keywords:
Blockchain, Edge computing, Embedded signal processing, Hardware security, Remote attestation, Trusted execution environmentAbstract
Embedded signal processing systems, ranging from industrial sensors and medical wearables to programmable logic controllers, increasingly operate in physically exposed and network-connected environments where both the confidentiality of acquired signals and the integrity of processing results are at risk. Conventional software-only defenses cannot withstand adversaries who gain a foothold on the device operating system, while purely cryptographic protections often impose computational costs unsuitable for resource-constrained hardware. This article examines a hybrid security architecture that combines Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs), which provide hardware-isolated, attestable computation on the device itself, with blockchain technology, which provides a tamper-evident, distributed ledger for recording provenance and integrity proofs across untrusted networks. The architecture is presented alongside a review of the underlying building blocks, including ARM TrustZone and Intel SGX, encrypted-domain signal processing, remote attestation, and TEE-assisted blockchain consensus mechanisms. The article provides a comparative analysis of TEE technologies, known vulnerability classes, TEE-blockchain integration systems, and secure signal processing approaches, while synthesizing system architectures, processing pipelines, and consensus integration mechanisms. The article concludes by identifying open challenges in scalability, side-channel resilience, and standardization that must be addressed before such hybrid architectures can see widespread industrial deployment.
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