Zero-Knowledge Proof–Based Blockchain Architecture for Secure IoT Healthcare Systems

Abstract

The adoption of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices in healthcare is surging, offering continuous patient monitoring and smart diagnostics, but also exposing vast amounts of sensitive data to novel cyber threats. Recent analyses indicate that healthcare data breaches remain among the most costly and frequent, with network servers and electronic health records being prime targets[1][2]. At the same time, regulations like HIPAA and GDPR impose stringent requirements on data privacy and breach notifications. This paper presents a novel blockchain+ZKP architecture designed for IoT-driven healthcare environments, integrating wearable/implantable sensors, edge computing, and smart contracts to enforce privacy and security. We incorporate advanced cryptographic techniques — including post-quantum algorithms, secure multiparty computation, and homomorphic encryption — to future-proof the system. The proposed framework achieves strong data confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and auditability without revealing underlying patient data. Key contributions include (1) a decentralized identity management with ZKP-based authentication, (2) hybrid on-chain/off-chain data handling to enable GDPR-compliant data erasure, (3) integration of post-quantum primitives for future resilience[3], and (4) detailed threat modeling for healthcare IoT scenarios. Extensive literature from 2020–2025 is surveyed, showing how our design addresses the limitations of prior works in scalability and regulatory compliance[4][2]. Conceptual evaluations and related studies suggest feasibility and efficiency of the architecture in real-world use cases.