Development and Evaluation of an Authentication-Based Access Control Framework for Secure Web-Based Ebook Distribution

Abstract

The increasing use of digital learning resources has created a growing demand for secure ebook distribution systems. However, many existing ebook platforms remain vulnerable to unauthorized access, credential sharing, and uncontrolled digital content distribution. This study proposes an Authentication-Based Access Control Framework for secure web-based ebook distribution by integrating authentication, role-based authorization, session management, transaction validation, and ebook access protection within a unified security architecture.The research employed the Waterfall software development model consisting of requirement analysis, system design, implementation, testing, and deployment. The proposed framework was implemented using PHP and MySQL and evaluated through functional and security testing.The implementation results demonstrate that the developed system successfully manages 153 registered users, 151 ebook transactions, and six published ebook collections while maintaining controlled access to digital content. Functional testing achieved a 100% success rate across authentication, authorization, session validation, and ebook protection scenarios. The session management mechanism effectively prevented concurrent account usage and unauthorized access attempts.The novelty of this study lies in the integration of authentication, authorization, session validation, and ebook access protection within a dedicated framework specifically designed for ebook distribution. The proposed framework provides a practical, scalable, and cost-effective alternative for educational institutions and digital content providers seeking secure digital resource distribution without relying on complex Digital Rights Management (DRM) infrastructures.