UAVA: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Assisted Vehicular Authentication Scheme in Edge Computing Networks

In the pursuit of autonomous driving and intelligent traffic management, the core goal of 5G Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication is to enhance the safety and efficiency of transportation systems. Modern transportation networks have evolved into three-dimensional structures including bridges and tunnels from traditional two-dimensional ones, which poses a challenge to fixed base stations-based networks reliant on supporting continuous and seamless coverage. Against this backdrop, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) play a crucial role in developing multi-dimensional wireless networks due to their flexibility and functionality. This paper proposes a UAV-Assisted Vehicle Authentication (UAVA) scheme. It harnesses the efficiency of edge computing and the security of zero-trust architecture, focusing on enhancing the safety and efficiency of V2X communications. The UAVA scheme employs Chebyshev chaotic mapping and elliptic curve cryptography to strengthen communication security, adapting to the dynamic interactions between vehicles and UAVs. We validate the security using BAN logic and the Scyther tool and assess performance through experiments in a real hardware environment. The results indicate that UAVA offers higher security and lower communication overhead in serverless scenarios compared to existing solutions. These comprehensive evaluations show the potential of UAVA for application in intelligent transportation systems, especially in ensuring secure communications.