A SECURE AND EFFICIENT BLOCKCHAIN-BASED ACADEMIC RECORD VERIFICATION SYSTEM FOR PREVENTING CREDENTIAL FRAUD USING HASH-BASED INTEGRITY MECHANISMS

Abstract

Credential fraud in academic institutions has emerged as a serious global concern, undermining the integrity of educational qualifications and professional trust. Traditional paper-based and centralised digital verification systems are susceptible to forgery, data tampering, and administrative delays. This paper proposes a Secure and Efficient Blockchain-Based Academic Record Verification System (SEBARVS) that leverages a private blockchain architecture combined with SHA-256 hash-based integrity mechanisms to prevent credential fraud. Rather than storing complete academic records on the blockchain, the proposed system stores only the cryptographic hash of each record, ensuring both data privacy and tamper-proofing. Authorised institutions act as permissioned nodes within the network, enabling real-time, decentralised verification without relying on any single trusted authority. The workflow encompasses record generation, hash computation, on-chain storage, and a streamlined verification algorithm. Experimental evaluation demonstrates that the proposed system achieves verification within 2 to 5 seconds, eliminates single points of failure, and significantly reduces operational costs relative to traditional approaches. Comparative analysis against conventional systems and generic blockchain implementations confirms the superiority of the proposed approach in terms of security, efficiency, scalability, and privacy. The system offers a practical, deployment-ready framework for universities, certification bodies, and employers worldwide.