Security and Transparency Challenges in Blockchain-Based Decentralized Systems for Sustainable Digital Infrastructure

Abstract

Blockchain technology has emerged as a core enabler of decentralized digital infrastructure by offering inherent features such as immutability, distributed trust, and transparency. These characteristics position blockchain as a promising foundation for building sustainable and accountable digital ecosystems. However, despite its growing adoption across domains such as governance, finance, supply chain management, and public services, blockchain systems continue to face critical challenges. Security vulnerabilities, scalability constraints, energy consumption, and transparency—privacy trade-offs remain major barriers to their long-term reliability and sustainability. This study presents a structured analysis of security and transparency challenges in blockchain-based decentralized systems, with specific emphasis on their role in sustainable digital infrastructure. Key architectural components, including consensus mechanisms, decentralization models, and immutable ledger design, are examined to identify structural weaknesses and performance bottlenecks. The primary contribution of this work is the introduction of a unified layered challenge taxonomy that categorizes threats across protocol, network, and application layers, supported by a dataset-driven comparative evaluation of representative blockchain platforms. The findings demonstrate that sustainable blockchain deployment requires carefully balanced design strategies that integrate efficiency, security, and transparency rather than optimizing any single dimension in isolation. This work provides practical insights and reference points for future research aimed at developing secure, scalable, and sustainability-oriented decentralized systems.