On a Blockchain-Based Security Scheme for Defense against Malicious Nodes in Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks

Vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) aim to provide a comfortable driving experience. Sharing messages in VANETs can help with traffic management, congestion mitigation, and driving safety. However, forged or false messages may undermine the efficiency of VANETs. In this paper, we propose a security scheme based on blockchain technology, where two types of blockchain are constructed based on roadside units (RSUs) and Certificate Authorities (CAs), respectively. The proposed security scheme has multifold goals to identify malicious nodes and detect forged messages based on multiple factors, such as reputation of sender nodes, and time and distance effectiveness of messages. In addition, an incentive mechanism is introduced on the RSU blockchain to encourage RSUs to adopt active behaviors. Extensive simulations show that the proposed scheme exhibits superior performances to existing methods in detecting forged messages and identifying malicious nodes. Meanwhile, it provides privacy protection and improves the efficiency of vehicular networks.

Automated summary

This paper proposes a security scheme based on blockchain technology for enhancing the security and efficiency of vehicular ad-hoc networks. By constructing two types of blockchain and considering multiple factors, including reputation of sender nodes and time and distance effectiveness, the proposed scheme is able to identify malicious nodes, detect forged messages, and encourage active behaviors.