A blockchain-based efficient traceability authentication scheme in VANET

Abstract

Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) is a platform that facilitates Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) interconnection. However, its open communication channels and high-speed mobility introduce security and privacy vulnerabilities. Anonymous authentication is crucial in ensuring secure communication and privacy protection in VANET. However, existing anonymous authentication schemes are prone to single points of failure and often overlook the efficient tracking of the true identities of malicious vehicles after pseudonym changes. To address these challenges, we propose an efficient anonymous authentication scheme for blockchain-based VANET. By leveraging blockchain technology, our approach addresses the challenges of single points of failure and high latency, thereby enhancing the service stability and scalability of VANET. The scheme integrates homomorphic encryption and elliptic curve cryptography, allowing vehicles to independently generate new pseudonyms when entering a new domain without third-party assistance. Security analyses and simulation results demonstrate that our scheme achieves effective anonymous authentication in VANET. Moreover, the roadside unit can process 500 messages per 19 ms. As the number of vehicles in the communication domain grows, our scheme exhibits superior message-processing capabilities.