Edge Computing-Based Privacy-Preserving Authentication Framework and Protocol for 5G-Enabled Vehicular Networks

Based on the functional characteristics of inter-vehicle communication networks under the current framework, a privacy-preserving authentication framework that combines fifth-generation communication technology (5G) and edge computing technology is proposed. The proposed framework is different from that used in the previous 802.11p-based inter-vehicle communication network architecture, and we use device-to-device technology to achieve communication between vehicles. One difference between a 5G-enabled model and a traditional model for vehicle ad hoc networks is that secure communication between vehicles in a 5G-enabled model is challenging. The authentication protocol proposed in this study can be divided into two parts. The first part involves authenticating and selecting an edge computing vehicle, wherein a fuzzy logic mathematical method is used in the selection process. The second part is the mutual authentication between edge computing and ordinary vehicles. In this process, the exchange of security information between vehicles in a group is possible. Simultaneously, the identity privacy and traceability of the vehicle are ensured. Moreover, the proposed signature scheme is proved to be secure under a random oracle model. Performance evaluation results demonstrate that our proposed scheme has relatively lower computational and communication overhead than existing schemes.