Permissioned blockchains enforce secure access across multiple networks
Cross-chain Access Control for Permissioned Blockchain Interoperation
Cryptography and Security
Summary
Controlling who can access data when multiple private blockchains connect is tricky because each network has its own rules. The authors created InterAcct, a system that helps blockchains securely share data without revealing sensitive information. It converts requests so only general details are shared, then safely links responses back to the right person. Their tests show InterAcct keeps data safe without slowing down interactions.
What this means in practice
- •For enterprise blockchain teams: Implement secure, end-to-end access control for business data exchanges across multiple private blockchain networks.
- •For cloud infrastructure engineers: Manage access policies consistently when integrating different blockchain services to maintain confidentiality and control.
Authors
Tirthankar Sengupta, Bishakh Chandra Ghosh, Sandip Chakraborty, Shamik Sural
Abstract
As enterprise blockchains become increasingly interconnected, access control must extend beyond the boundaries of a single network. Existing approaches mainly focus on controlling access within one blockchain, while cross-chain interactions involve multiple networks that may follow different access-control policies and administrative rules. In this paper, we propose InterAcct, an end-to-end access-control framework for secure interactions across permissioned blockchain networks. To avoid exposing sensitive internal information, InterAcct converts outgoing requests into a consortium-level representation before they are shared with another network. When a response is returned, the framework securely maps it back to the original requester within the source consortium, preserving confidentiality throughout the interaction. Our experimental results show that InterAcct can enforce end-to-end access control for cross-chain request-response interactions with low additional overhead and can continue to operate effectively as the workload increases.