A Blockchain-Based Multi-Agent Security Framework for E-Commerce Systems

Abstract

Agent technologies have become a vital instrument in electronic communication networks, offering the potential to address key weaknesses in conventional e-commerce systems, enhance responsiveness to consumer preferences and personalization, and significantly improve the efficiency of online transactions. For instance, e-commerce platforms increasingly employ recommender agents to support upselling by analyzing customers' prior purchase history and recommending relevant complementary products in real time. Despite these advantages, multi-agent e-commerce platforms face persistent challenges, including knowledge vulnerability and unfair or fraudulent transactions, which continue to undermine trust in agent-based systems. To address these challenges, this article proposes a Multi-Agent Security Model for E-Commerce (MASM-EC), built on blockchain technology and leveraging its core properties of decentralization and enforcement to strengthen platform security. The proposed framework first examines the role of agent technologies in e-commerce and identifies the security risks inherent in their use. It then introduces an Executive System designed from a data-storage perspective to manage transaction data securely, alongside a node-verification methodology that validates the integrity of each stage of the agent transaction process. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed MASM-EC framework is effective for securing multi-agent e-commerce platforms, offering a practical foundation for building trustworthy, blockchain-based agent systems in online commerce.