A Blockchain-Based Lightweight Distributed Identity Authentication Mechanism

Abstract

The growing number of connected devices creates a strong demand for secure and private identity management across different networks. Conventional centralized systems suffer from a single point of failure, while many decentralized, blockchain-based solutions struggle to balance scalability, functional versatility, and privacy protection. To bridge these gaps, we propose a Blockchain-based Lightweight Dual-mode Authentication (BLDA) mechanism. BLDA introduces two distinct authentication pathways: the first achieves constant-time verification based on a dynamic cryptographic accumulator integrated with zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), offering optimal efficiency and unlinkability for simple membership checks. The second enables logarithmic-time verification based on a Merkle Patricia Trie (MPT) and ZKPs, providing efficient and privacy-preserving attestation of specific user attributes. Both modes ensure minimal information disclosure during authentication. A security and complexity analysis demonstrates that BLDA provides a secure and efficient framework, well-suited for large-scale applications requiring efficient cross-domain authentication.