Assessing the Scalability and Security of Decentralized Identity Management Systems in Blockchain-Based Platforms

Jason Mitchell

Authors

Jason Mitchell Blockchain Architect, USA Author

Keywords:

Decentralized Identity, Blockchain, Identity Management, Security, Scalability, Self-Sovereign Identity

Abstract

The integration of blockchain technology into identity management systems (IdMS) has fostered a new paradigm of decentralized identity (DID) frameworks. These systems aim to empower users with greater control over their digital identities while minimizing reliance on centralized authorities. However, concerns persist regarding the scalability and security of these architectures in real-world, large-scale applications. This paper critically evaluates the scalability limitations and security implications of blockchain-based decentralized IdMS, drawing implementations and empirical studies. Our analysis identifies critical trade-offs between throughput, latency, consensus mechanisms, and resistance to adversarial threats, and provides insights into the future research trajectory required to enhance these systems' robustness and viability.

References

Allen, Christopher. The Path to Self-Sovereign Identity. Life With Alacrity, 2016.

Tobin, Andrew, and Drummond Reed. The Inevitable Rise of Self-Sovereign Identity. Sovrin Foundation White Paper, 2016.

Narayanan, Arvind, et al. Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies: A Comprehensive Introduction. Princeton University Press, 2016.

Zyskind, Guy, Oz Nathan, and Alex Pentland. "Decentralizing Privacy: Using Blockchain to Protect Personal Data." IEEE Security and Privacy Workshops, 2015, pp. 180–184.

Cameron, Kim. The Laws of Identity. Microsoft Corporation, 2005.

Preukschat, Alex, and Drummond Reed. Self-Sovereign Identity: Decentralized Digital Identity and Verifiable Credentials. Manning Publications, 2020.

Kuperberg, David, et al. "A Taxonomy of Blockchain-Based Identity Management Systems for the Internet of Things." IEEE Access, vol. 8, 2020, pp. 111752–111774.

Ferdous, Md Sadek, et al. "Search Me If You Can: Privacy-Preserving Federated Identity Management Using Blockchain." Future Generation Computer Systems, vol. 94, 2019, pp. 674–689.

Jacobovitz, Ori. Blockchain for Identity Management. The University of Texas at Austin, 2016. Technical Report.

Mühle, Alexander, et al. "A Survey on Essential Components of a Self-Sovereign Identity." Computer Science Review, vol. 30, 2018, pp. 9–29.

Naik, Nitin, and Paul Jenkins. "A Secure and Scalable Distributed Framework for Identity Management Using Blockchain." International Journal of Network Security, vol. 22, no. 1, 2020, pp. 162–169.

Hardjono, Thomas, et al. "Towards a Scalable and Privacy-Preserving Blockchain-Based Architecture for Digital Identity." IEEE International Conference on Cloud Engineering, 2019, pp. 1–8.

Azbeg, Karim, et al. "Decentralized Identity Management Using Blockchain: A Survey." International Journal of Network Management, vol. 30, no. 5, 2020.

Binns, Reuben. "Data Protection and Decentralised Identity." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, vol. 376, no. 2128, 2018.

Wüst, Karl, and Arthur Gervais. "Do You Need a Blockchain?" Crypto Valley Conference on Blockchain Technology (CVCBT), IEEE, 2018, pp. 45–54