A Self-Reliant Trust Management Model for VANETs

Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) are key enablers for intelligent transportation systems (ITSs). In VANETs, vehicles are capable of communicating among others, and with roadside infrastructure. Nodes exchange messages via short-range communication to improve road safety and enhance traffic efficiency. To tackle VANETs security: Cryptography-based solutions are developed by the researchers. The Cryptography-based solution can protect VANETs from outside attacks. However, it is incapable of ensuring message reliability. This led to the emergence of Trust-based solutions, which aim to protect VANETs from insider attacks and confirm message reliability. Many trust models have been introduced. However, several schemes count on roadside infrastructure to confirm messages reliability. In this study, we introduce a novel self-reliant trust management model that ensures messages reliability based on nodes’ credit. Furthermore, it is decentralized and protects nodes’ privacy. The simulation results demonstrate the performance and security efficacy of the proposed system.