Anonymous Authentication and Information Sharing Scheme Based on Blockchain and Zero Knowledge Proof for VANETs

In recent years, with the increasing integration of intelligent modules into vehicles, intelligent transportation systems (ITS) have increasingly assumed a pivotal role in augmenting driver safety. As an ITS, vehicle ad hoc networks (VANETs) not only establish a secure traffic environment for users but also provides them with an efficient means of exchanging traffic information. However, during vehicle communication processes, security challenges such as the leakage of vehicle privacy information and tampering with shared task information must be addressed. Therefore, this paper proposes a decentralized anonymous authentication and secure traffic task information-sharing scheme based on blockchain and zk-SNARK. Specifically, the proposed scheme utilizes blockchain technology and the interplanetary file system (IPFS) to securely and efficiently store and share task information in a fully decentralized manner. Vehicle users anonymously participate in tasks within VANETs using pseudonym information generated during registration with a trusted authority (TA). Additionally, by employing zk-SNARK to generate zero-knowledge proofs, the validity and integrity of task information can be verified without revealing any private information. Performance comparisons indicate that the proposed scheme enhances the security of vehicle-to-roadside unit (V2R) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications while reducing communication and computational costs.