A Blockchain-Enhanced Model for Ensuring Confidentiality and Integrity in Cloud–Edge Data Processing

Abstract

Cloud–Edge computing ecosystems are increasingly adopted for real-time data processing, yet they remain vulnerable to security threats such as unauthorized access, data tampering, and integrity breaches. Traditional centralized security methods often fail to provide strong protection across distributed nodes, especially in latency-sensitive environments. To address these challenges, this study proposes a Blockchain-enhanced model designed to ensure confidentiality and integrity in Cloud–Edge data processing. The proposed framework integrates a lightweight blockchain layer with cloud and edge nodes to establish a decentralized trust mechanism, enabling secure data verification and protected data flows. In this model, blockchain smart contracts are used to automate access control, ensuring that only authenticated entities can access or modify sensitive data. Hash-based verification and distributed ledger storage guarantee data integrity, while encryption and key-management mechanisms strengthen confidentiality during transmission and processing. The architecture supports real-time synchronization between cloud and edge nodes, reducing the risk of single-point failures and enhancing system resilience. Experimental evaluation and workflow analysis demonstrate that integrating blockchain improves traceability, transparency, and tamper resistance without significantly affecting processing latency. This makes the model suitable for IoT-based environments, healthcare monitoring, smart cities, and other applications requiring high data reliability. The results suggest that blockchain can serve as a powerful enhancement layer for securing modern Cloud–Edge systems.