Decentralized Zero-Trust: A Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG)-Based Ledger Framework for Attribute-Based Access Control in Resource-Constrained Edge Environments

Abstract

The rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) has necessitated a shift to distributed Edge environments, rendering traditional perimeter security obsolete and exposing scalability bottlenecks in centralized Zero-Trust Architecture (ZTA). This paper proposes a novel, decentralized ZTA framework that integrates Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) distributed ledgers with Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) to eliminate single points of failure. By leveraging asynchronous DAG protocols (e.g., IOTA Tangle, Obyte) instead of linear blockchains and using lightweight Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) for resource-constrained devices, the system enables fee-less, parallel transaction processing. Quantitative analysis demonstrates the framework's superior performance, achieving over 1,000 transactions per second (TPS), sub-second finality, and 15ms encryption times on commodity hardware, thereby establishing a robust, partition-tolerant security model for the future Internet of Everything.