Enhancing VANET Security with Lattice-Based Cryptography and Dynamic Pseudonym Updates

Ensuring secure and efficient authentication in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) is vital for real-time communication and network resilience. However, traditional authentication mechanisms, such as Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), face significant challenges, including high computational overhead, complex certificate revocation, and vulnerability to quantum attacks. To overcome these limitations, we propose a lattice-based authentication protocol that integrates post-quantum cryptography (PQC), zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), and fog computing for secure Vehicle-to-Roadside (V2R) communication. Our protocol offers quantum resistance, decentralized authentication, and dynamic pseudonym updates, enhancing both security and privacy in VANETs. Performance evaluations demonstrate that our approach achieves lower message delay (0.8), reduced packet loss ratio (0.6), minimal communication overhead (0.7), and the fastest authentication delay (0.5) compared to ECC and Physically Unclonable Function (PUF)-based methods. Additionally, formal security analysis confirms that our scheme effectively mitigates impersonation, replay, tracking, and quantum attacks, ensuring a scalable and future-proof authentication mechanism for next-generation VANETs.