Blockchain for securing distributed iiot or edge device data at rest

An industrial processing facility (IPF) having a plurality of nodes in a network all coupled to at least one storage medium, said network having at least one of a processor and digital logic configured for implementing a method of securing stored data associated with operation of said IPF, said method comprising:

• creating a private blockchain (PB) using at least one OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) standard functionality and storing said PB in an OPC UA address space to add said PB to an OPC UA communication protocol framework comprising said plurality of nodes in a network comprising IIoT edge-nodes communicably coupled to at least one data storage medium where during said IPF operation said plurality of nodes access Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) data from, said PB utilizing said plurality of said IIoT edge-nodes as PB participant nodes including at least two of said nodes maintaining a public ledger including an updatable hash, wherein said data storage medium has its own blockchain;
• said PB having a role-based participation including a regulator or leader assigning said PB participant nodes a single role selected from a blockmaker for generating new blocks, a block voter, and an observer;
• updating said hash in said public ledger once said new block is validated by at least a majority of said block voters;
• propagating said new block to all said PB participants nodes, and
• after said propagating, said regulators, said leader or said observer utilizing a time bound majority voting consensus to determine whether said PB participant nodes come to a consensus on a current storage state in said data storage medium, and
• adding said new block to said public ledger only when said PB participant nodes come to said consensus.