Securing Autonomous Vehicles: Blockchain and Federated Identity Solutions for Seamless Authentication

Abstract: Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) have revolutionized the transportation landscape but have come with serious challenges to cybersecurity. This is to ensure the vehicular network is maintained and prevent any unauthorized access. In this paper, we explore how blockchain technology could be integrated as a robust solution to secure and enhance the efficiency of the AV authentication process using federated identity management within the AV community. Blockchain is an immutable, decentralized ledger of data, and its integrity and transparency are ensured throughout vehicular networks. Federated identity management presents a single console for authentication, whereby different systems authenticate entities without compromising security or privacy. Together, these technologies build a framework that tackles such fundamental issues as data tampering, authentication latency, and lack of peripheral vulnerability (centralized vector). The hybrid methodology of blockchain for data validation and federated identity for efficient authentication of the user and vehicle is presented. Algorithms and mathematical models are derived to illustrate the framework’s functionality. Simulation results show that authentication speed, scalability, and resistance to cyberattacks are improved significantly than the traditional methods. The proposed system satisfies the security needs of AV ecosystems and paves the way for incorporating AI-driven threat detection. Blockchain and federated identity solutions promise to provide the security and reliability needed to support autonomous transportation systems, and this paper underscores this transformative capability