A Novel Approach to Sybil Attack Detection in VANETs Using Verifiable Delay Functions and Hierarchical Fog-Cloud Architecture

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) have become the foundation for the implementation of intelligent transportation systems and new vistas for road safety and traffic efficiency. However, these networks are still susceptible to Sybil attacks, a form of attack that requires malicious entities to create a series of fake identities in order to have an out-of-proportion influence. The present paper puts forth a new Sybil attack detection framework that combines Verifiable Delay Functions (VDFs) in synergistic cooperation with a hierarchical fog-cloud computing structure. Our method does not rely on any additional properties of VDFs but uses them to prove uniqueness computationally, deploying purposefully placed fog nodes for effective localized detection. We mathematically formulate a multi-layered detection algorithm that processes interactions between vehicles on two fog (and cloud) layers to produce suspicion scores using spatiotemporal consistency and VDF challenge-response patterns. Security analysis proves the system’s ability to resist a range of Sybil attack variants with performance evaluation outperforming at detection above 97.8% and false positives below 2.3%. The incorporation of machine learning techniques also extends detection capabilities, and our hybrid VDF-ML method proves better adaptation to the changing attack patterns. Details of implementation and detailed simulations in various traffic situations prove the feasibility and efficiency of our proposed solution to set a new level playing ground for secure VANET communications.