An Efficient Proxy-Based Message Authentication Framework in Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks

Abstract

In the recent research on Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs), new practical goals are pursued. They provide real-world communications between vehicles and make them reliable and easily used. The VANETs have a fundamental role in reducing traffic accidents and improving traffic on the roads. Authentication in VANETs is a critical security service, and vehicles should be protected from breaking their personal information. Vehicles can be traced and investigated in the event of an accident or liability arising out of non-repudiation when the vehicle is faced with a rush of incoming messages. Hence, the Roadside Units' (RSUs) efficiency is reduced and causes delays in checking messages. This study presents an authentication framework using proxy vehicles for VANETs. Reducing the computational cost and proficiency increment are the features of the proposed method on the RSUs side. The proposed framework supports managing the revocation list. The Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) authentication protocols are guaranteed and designed in this proposed framework, therefor, a merged V2I and V2V authentication is presented and embedded in the proposed framework. The designed protocol applies offline and online signatures to check messages, the revocation key to prevent malicious messages from being sent, and the time limit to use the network. The analysis shows that the suggested protocol is more feasible and reasonable for use in VANETs.