Design Of VANET Security Protocol Using Minimal Trusted Hardware

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET) is a prospering technology. It’s an application of the new concept Internet of Things. With the information transmitting service provided by VANET, vehicular smart systems can acquire real-time traffic information and status parameters of nearby vehicles, hence serve drivers with plentiful smart traffic services like rear-end collision prevention, traffic jam avoidance, locating nearest car parks, etc. The development of VANET can increase traffic efficiency, lower traffic accident rate, reduce pollution to environment, and enhance driving experience.VANET’s network structure is a kind of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), however it has many different characteristics with common MANET. Current VANET technology focus on the stability and efficiency of network communication rather than security issues. Security protocols which are directly ported from MANET or other network environment don’t meet the needs of VANET. Thus a novel security scheme is required in VANET.In this paper, we review and analysis the related work of security problems in VANET, and the current status of trusted hardware technology. Then we propose a novel type of minimized trusted hardware:Trusted Counter Add-on. Based on this trusted hardware, we propose some security protocols in VANET.1. We propose a designation scheme of minimal trusted hardware:Trusted Counter Add-on, a.k.a. TCA.In a multi-user ad hoc network, there exists the motive to cheat other users to for the cheater’s own profit. For example, a cheater can reserve more network resource for himself while refusing to serve other users. With trusted hardware, users’behavior can be controlled, and it will be harder for users to maliciously tamper the information in their own systems. However, current trusted hardware requires system support to be functional, hampering an existing system from adding trusted hardware.In order to make trusted hardware more practical to be deployed into current systems, we propose the principle of minimal, add-on type trusted hardware, which can be attached to an existing system without modifying the system, thus protect the security of communication protocols. To accommodate the functional limit of this minimal trusted hardware, we notice the importance of monotonic increasing variables in protocols, and propose the principle of introducing trusted counter to security protocols.Current trusted counters are based on TPM, a generic architecture which has very limited function. Besides, TPM chips must support many system-status related operations, thus TPM-based trusted counters are slow and complex, and not practical in mass production and usage. To fulfill the need of trusted hardware in communication, we propose the scheme of a trusted hardware add-on:TCA.2. With TCA, we propose some improved security protocols in VANET.Present security protocol rely on multi-user coordinated detection to protect against cheaters, however the approaches are not practical in the ever-changing VANET environment, and their efficiency is very low in VANET. With TCA integrated into in-vehicle computer system, a local supervisor is introduced into the system without modifying existing on-board hardware, and prevents users from cheating.