Securebblockcert : Enhancing the security, privacy and scalability of educational digital credentials through blockchain

In the modern digital era, ensuring the authenticity and integrity of educational credentials is critical to countering credential forgery and fostering trust. While blockchain technology offers immutability and transparency that make it ideal for this purpose, current digital credential systems on the blockchain face significant limitations in effectively balancing security, privacy, and scalability. This study introduces SecureBlockCert, a novel blockchain-based framework designed to enhance the security and privacy of digital credentials while addressing scalability challenges. Built on Hyperledger Fabric, SecureBlockCert integrates advanced cryptographic techniques such as Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), EdDSA for secure signatures, and fully homomorphic encryption, along with SHA-256 for data privacy, fortifying credential systems against unauthorized access and misuse. Additionally, the framework leverages smart contracts, Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs), and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) to streamline credential issuance and verification. The framework's development follows a phased methodology, including conceptual modeling, framework design, expert validation, and rigorous performance assessment. Formal security analysis is conducted using the Tamarin Prover, while system performance is evaluated with Hyperledger Caliper. Experimental results demonstrate SecureBlockCert's capability, achieving significant improvements in transaction throughput and latency compared to existing systems. It achieved an average read throughput exceeding 140 transactions per second (TPS) with minimal latency, underscoring its scalability and effectiveness. SecureBlockCert offers a foundation for trusted digital ecosystems, setting a new standard for secure, privacypreserving credential management. Its scalability and effectiveness position it as an innovative solution for educational credentialing, with potential applications across sectors reliant on credential verification