Decentralized Firmware Integrity Verification for Cyber-Physical Systems Using Ethereum Blockchain

TL;DR

This paper presents a decentralized, blockchain-based framework for verifying firmware integrity in cyber-physical systems, enhancing security against tampering and supply chain attacks with a practical prototype on Ethereum.

Contribution

It introduces a novel decentralized firmware verification system leveraging Ethereum smart contracts, demonstrating real-world feasibility and discussing scalability extensions.

Findings

Successful deployment and verification of firmware hashes on Ethereum

Low-cost and reliable integrity checks demonstrated in prototype

Scalability extensions with Layer-2 and IPFS discussed

Abstract

Firmware integrity is a foundational requirement for securing Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), where malicious or compromised firmware can result in persistent backdoors, unauthorized control, or catastrophic system failures. Traditional verification mechanisms such as secure boot, digital signatures, and centralized hash databases are increasingly inadequate due to risks from insider threats and single points of failure. In this paper, we propose a decentralized firmware integrity verification framework built on the Ethereum blockchain, offering tamperproof, transparent, and trustless validation. Our system stores SHA-256 hashes of firmware binaries within smart contracts deployed on the Ethereum Sepolia testnet, using Web3 and Infura for seamless on-chain interaction. A Python-based client tool computes firmware hashes and communicates with the blockchain to register and verify firmware authenticity in realtime. We implement and evaluate a fully functional prototype using real firmware samples, demonstrating successful contract deployment, hash registration, and integrity verification through live blockchain transactions. Experimental results confirm the reliability and low cost (in gas fees) of our approach, highlighting its practicality and scalability for real-world CPS applications. To enhance scalability and performance, we discuss extensions using Layer-2 rollups and off-chain storage via the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS). We also outline integration pathways with secure boot mechanisms, Trusted Platform Module (TPM)based attestation, and zero-trust architectures. This work contributes a practical and extensible model for blockchain-based firmware verification, significantly strengthening the defense against firmware tampering and supply chain attacks in critical CPS environments.