Recent Advances in Blockchain-Based Identity and Access Management for Cybersecurity

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digital services, cloud computing, IoT, and interconnected platforms has increased the need for secure and privacy-preserving Identity and Access Management (IAM). Traditional centralized and federated IAM systems face challenges including single points of failure, privacy risks, limited user control, interoperability issues, and identity-based cyberattacks. This paper reviews recent advances in blockchain-based IAM for cybersecurity, focusing on blockchain architectures, Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), decentralized identifiers (DIDs), smart contracts, authentication mechanisms, federated identity, and AI-integrated IAM. The review demonstrates that blockchain can provide decentralized, tamper-resistant, transparent, and auditable identity management, while SSI enables greater user ownership and control over digital identities. Smart contracts support automated authentication and access control, whereas AI integration enables anomaly detection, behavioural analysis, adaptive authorization, and intelligent threat mitigation. The reviewed studies also indicate improvements in privacy, credential verification, trust, and resistance to identity-related threats. However, scalability, interoperability, computational overhead, secure key management, privacy, and regulatory compliance remain significant challenges. Overall, blockchain-based IAM provides a promising foundation for secure, resilient, privacy-preserving, and user-centric cybersecurity environments.