Cooperative Quantum Key Distribution for Cooperative Service-Message Passing in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Abstract

Secure message transmission in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) is a challenging task due to its highly dynamic nature. In VANETs, road side unit (RSU) transmits different types of service messages to those vehicles, who have subscribed for that type of message. Intermediate vehicles, those are not subscribed to that service may also receive the message due to broadcast nature of wireless medium. Current literature on VANETs use conventional cryptography for secure message transmission. In this study, the secure service message delivery in VANETs is modeled as a cooperative quantum key distribution among nodes. In the proposed model, vehicles are interested in using services, that are provided by service providers (SPs) through RSUs after a vehicle registered for that service. A quantum key is distributed to registered vehicle through RSU, which is needed to unlock the service. RSU can transmit the quantum key to the vehicles, which are within its transmission range. A cooperative vehicle helps RSU to transmit the quantum key to a vehicle that is not in its transmission range. A network formation game is modeled for the proposed problem between RSUs and vehicles to form network tree. Vehicles (nodes) use services, work as relay node in-order to cooperate with RSU to relay quantum key. In this paper, a distributed algorithm for cooperative quantum key distribution in VANETs (CQKDVN) is modeled, which helps RSU’s to choose a suitable relay node for quantum key distribution. The proposed algorithm, CQKDVN, helps nodes to decide whether to cooperate with a RSU or not based on the incentive it receives by serving a RSU to deliver quantum key to a destination node. CQKDVN also helps the RSU to adapt to the network topology changes such as a node move out of its range or movement of relay nodes that triggers to switch to a new relay node. CQKDVN constitute the network topology into a Nash network.