A New Framework for Enhancing VANETs through Layer 2 DLT Architectures with Multiparty Threshold Key Management and PETs

Abstract

This work proposes a new architectural approach to enhance the security, privacy, and scalability of VANETs through threshold key management and Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs), such as homomorphic encryption and secure multiparty computation, integrated with Decentralized Ledger Technologies (DLTs). These advanced mechanisms are employed to eliminate centralization and protect the privacy of transferred and processed information in VANETs, thereby addressing privacy concerns. We begin by discussing the weaknesses of existing VANET architectures concerning trust, privacy, and scalability and then introduce a new architectural framework that shifts from centralized to decentralized approaches. This transition applies a decentralized ledger mechanism to ensure correctness, reliability, accuracy, and security against various known attacks. The use of Layer 2 DLTs in our framework enhances key management, trust distribution, and data privacy, offering cost and speed advantages over Layer 1 DLTs, thereby enabling secure vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. The proposed framework is superior to other frameworks as it improves decentralized trust management, adopts more efficient PETs, and leverages Layer 2 DLT for scalability. The integration of multiparty threshold key management and homomorphic encryption also enhances data confidentiality and integrity, thus securing against various existing cryptographic attacks. Finally, we discuss potential future developments to improve the security and reliability of VANETs in the next generation of networks, including 5G networks.