ZTX-BAIC: A Multi-Layered Cloud Security Framework Integrating ZTA Extended with Blockchain, AI, Advanced Encryption, and CSPM

With the advancement of modern technology, enterprises are migrating to cloud computing to accelerate innovation in an increasingly competitive global landscape. Despite its benefits, cloud computing is encountering highly escalating cyber threats, such as identity theft, data breaches, cyber vandalism, and social engineering. This study proposes ZTX-BAIC, an integrated comprehensive framework for cloud security that converges the idea of zero trust architecture (ZTA), generative AI-driven threat detection, blockchain-based auditable security and smart contracts, cloud security posture management (CSPM), and advanced encryption. In the proposed framework, ZTA enforces perpetual authentication and privilege-based access control while the blockchain reinforces security systems utilizing identity management and tamper-resistant audit logging. Generative AI (GenAI) and CSPM are integrated to detect possible real-time threats with high accuracy and to generate automated compliance reports. The technology acceptance model (TAM) is utilized to validate the practical deployment of this framework. This study critically fills gaps in existing cloud security practices. The proposed design offers an adaptive, diversified, multi-layered defensive model that ensures behavioral adaptation and technical sophistication. While previous models have employed ZTA, blockchain, or generative AI in isolation or combining a couple of them, this study integrates the mentioned techniques into a cohesive and unified cloud security framework.