Blockchain-Enabled Forensics-by-Design: A Permissioned Blockchain Integration Solution for Digital Evidence Management Systems (PBCIS-DEMS)

Butrus  Mbimbi

doi:10.60867/00000177

The rapid expansion of cloud services, mobile platforms, and IoT environments has reshaped digital ecosystems, creating dynamic, distributed data that strain traditional forensic methods. Frameworks built for static on-premise systems struggle to preserve integrity, authenticity, and chain-of-custody when evidence comes from decentralized, cross-border sources. Thus, many current approaches fail to ensure transparency, tamper resistance, and legal admissibility. This thesis presents Permissioned Blockchain Integration Solution for Digital Evidence Management Systems (PBCIS-DEMS), a blockchainenabled forensics-by-design framework that addresses these challenges by enhancing evidence integrity, automation, and admissibility using a decentralized digital environment. Building upon the architecture of Permissioned Blockchain Integration Solution for the IoT Forensics (PBCIS-IoTF), the expanded framework delivers a comprehensive solution for secure digital evidence management through modular integration of permissioned blockchain, smart contracts, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs). The research adopts a mixed-method strategy incorporating systematic review, design science, and empirical validation. The PBCIS-IoTF prototype, implemented using Hyperledger Fabric and SHA-256 hashing on Raspberry Pi–based IoT simulations, automates evidence capture and verification to ensure immutability and auditability. Extending this foundation, PBCIS-DEMS introduces a private blockchain layer that incorporates collaborative Proof of Work (PoW) and NFT-based provenance tracking to improve traceability and reduce opportunities for tampering. ZKP-enabled privacy modules further support anonymous yet verifiable whistleblower submissions, balancing transparency with confidentiality. Experimental results demonstrate significant performance and reliability gains. PBCIS-IoTF achieves a throughput of 1,200 Transactions per Second (TPS) versus 500 TPS in traditional DEMS (140% improvement), while reducing verification latency by 25%. Collaborative PoW lowers computational overhead by 30% without compromising integrity, and the ZKP mechanism preserves anonymity while maintaining evidential admissibility. The research shows that permissioned and private blockchains, enhanced by smart contracts, NFTs, and ZKPs, can transform digital forensics into a transparent, tamper-proof, and legally robust process, establishing a scalable forensics-by-design paradigm for next-generation DEMS.

Blockchain-Enabled Forensics-by-Design: A Permissioned Blockchain Integration Solution for Digital Evidence Management Systems (PBCIS-DEMS)

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