Vehicular Internet: Security & Privacy Challenges and Opportunities

• Published in: Future internet Vol. 7; no. 3; pp. 257 - 275
• Main Authors: Zaidi, Kamran, Rajarajan, Muttukrishnan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.09.2015
• Subjects: ad hoc networks; Automobile driving; Automobile industry; Automobiles; Automotive engineering; Cloud computing; Communication; Communications networks; Connectivity; Intelligent transportation systems; Internet; Location based services; Network security; Networks; Privacy; Roads & highways; Security; Sensors; Social research; Spectrum allocation; Studies; Traffic congestion; Transportation; Transportation planning; VANETs; Vehicles; vehicular internet; Wireless networks
• ISSN: 1999-5903; 1999-5903
• DOI: 10.3390/fi7030257

The vehicular internet will drive the future of vehicular technology and intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Whether it is road safety, infotainment, or driver-less cars, the vehicular internet will lay the foundation for the future of road travel. Governments and companies are pursuing driver-less vehicles as they are considered to be more reliable than humans and, therefore, safer. The vehicles today are not just a means of transportation but are also equipped with a wide range of sensors that provide valuable data. If vehicles are enabled to share data that they collect with other vehicles or authorities for decision-making and safer driving, they thereby form a vehicular network. However, there is a lot at stake in vehicular networks if they are compromised. With the stakes so high, it is imperative that the vehicular networks are secured and made resilient to any attack or attempt that may have serious consequences. The vehicular internet can also be the target of a cyber attack, which can be devastating. In this paper, the opportunities that the vehicular internet offers are presented and then various security and privacy aspects are discussed and some solutions are presented.