Design of Secure Network Isolation and Trust Models for Multichain Blockchain in Kubernetes

Abstract

Container orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes are increasingly deployed in cloud-native and edge computing environments, where ensuring secure network isolation and trustworthy interactions between distributed components remains a critical challenge. Lightweight Kubernetes clusters, in particular, often lack robust mechanisms for decentralized trust management and tamper-resistant security auditing. This paper proposes a secure network-isolation and trust model for Kubernetes environments based on the Multichain blockchain. The study aims to enhance security assurance and audit transparency by introducing a decentralized trust layer that complements native Kubernetes networking mechanisms. The research objectives include analyzing network-level security threats in Kubernetes clusters, designing a blockchain-based trust-and-audit architecture, integrating Multichain with Kubernetes networking components, and evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed model using quantitative metrics.

The proposed approach is validated through experimental deployment in a controlled Kubernetes environment. Effectiveness is assessed using normalized indicators for security, performance, reliability, and integration, combined into an integrated effectiveness index. Radar-based visualization is employed to compare the proposed solution with a baseline Kubernetes configuration without blockchain support. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model significantly improves security and reliability metrics while maintaining acceptable performance overhead. The integrated effectiveness index confirms a measurable overall improvement compared to traditional Kubernetes deployments. The scientific contribution of this work lies in integrating decentralized, blockchain-based trust and immutable audit logging with Kubernetes network isolation mechanisms. The proposed model provides a practical, scalable approach to enhancing the security of Kubernetes clusters across cloud-native and edge computing infrastructures.