Work

CPCROK: A Communication-Efficient and Privacy-Preserving Scheme for Low-Density Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The mix-zone method is effective in preserving real-time vehicle identity and location privacy in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs). However, it has limitations in low-vehicle-density scenarios, where adversaries can still identify the real trajectories of the victim vehicle. To address this issue, researchers often generate numerous fake beacons to deceive attackers, but this increases transmission overhead significantly. Therefore, we propose the Communication-Efficient Pseudonym-Changing Scheme within the Restricted Online Knowledge Scheme (CPCROK) to protect vehicle privacy without causing significant communication overhead in low-density VANETs by generating highly authentic fake beacons to form a single fabricated trajectory. Specifically, the CPCROK consists of three main modules: firstly, a special Kalman filter module that provides real-time, coarse-grained vehicle trajectory estimates to reduce the need for real-time vehicle state information; secondly, a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) module that enhances predictions within the mix zone by incorporating offline data engineering and considering online vehicle steering angles; and finally, a trajectory generation module that collaborates with the first two to generate highly convincing fake trajectories outside the mix zone. The experimental results confirm that CPCROK effectively reduces the attack success rate by over 90%, outperforming the plain mix-zone scheme and beating other fake beacon schemes by more than 60%. Additionally, CPCROK effectively minimizes transmission overhead by 67%, all while ensuring a high level of protection.

Source: Future Internet

DOI: 10.3390/fi17040165

Authors: Junchao Wang, Honglin Li, Yan Sun, Chris Phillips, Alexios Mylonas, Dimitris Gritzalis

Institutions: University of Hertfordshire, University of St Andrews, Queen Mary University of London, Athens University of Economics and Business

Language: English

Topic: Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs)

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,930