ZERO-TRUST DECENTRALIZED IDENTITY FRAMEWORK USING BLOCKCHAIN AND CRYPTOGRAPHIC PROTOCOLS

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digital services has intensified the need for secure and privacypreserving identity management systems. Traditional Identity and Access Management (IAM) architectures rely on centralized authorities, making them vulnerable to singlepoint failures and large-scale breaches. ZeroTrust security models eliminate implicit trust by continuously verifying users and devices before granting access. Blockchain technology provides decentralization, immutability, and transparency, making it suitable for decentralized identity frameworks. This paper proposes a Zero-Trust Decentralized Identity (ZT-DID) framework integrating blockchain and advanced cryptographic protocols for secure authentication and access control. The system leverages smart contracts, digital signatures, and hash-based verification to ensure tamper-proof identity validation. Experimental evaluation demonstrates improved authentication accuracy, reduced verification latency, and enhanced attack detection compared to traditional and blockchain-only IAM systems. The proposed framework enhances trust distribution, resilience, and compliance in distributed environments. Results confirm its applicability for enterprise and cloud-based systems requiring secure digital identity management