Veri-Scan: A Decentralized Approach to Academic Verification via RSA Cryptography and Dynamic Kill-Switches

The fake degree market has evolved from simple photoshopped edits to sophisticated forgeries that are increasingly difficult to spot. For educational institutions and recruiters, the verification process remains a significant bottleneck, often relying on slow, manual email exchanges that leave room for human error. While blockchain technology is frequently touted as the ultimate solution for document integrity, it brings its own set of problems: high transaction costs (gas fees) and slower confirmation times. In this paper, we introduce "Veri-Scan," a hybrid verification system that secures documents without the overhead of a full blockchain network. By combining Asymmetric Cryptography (RSA-2048) with SHA-256 hashing, we ensure data integrity and non-repudiation. Crucially, we introduce a novel "Kill Switch" mechanism—a database-level override that allows universities to revoke a certificate instantly, even after it has been downloaded or printed. Our full-stack implementation, built on Next.js, demonstrates that we can achieve verification speeds of under 0.8 seconds while maintaining 100% detection accuracy for tampered documents.