Secure Data Dissemination for Smart Transportation Systems

Abstract Dissemination is an important part of vehicular safety applications; it is used as a tool to keep conductors aware of traffic conditions and to allow them to make pertinent decisions for a safe and enjoyable route. However, an open environment, such as a Vehicular Ad Hoc NETwork (VANET), may be the victim of attacks threatening the integrity of forwarded messages, resulting in disruptions in road traffic. In this chapter, we present a survey of message dissemination techniques for safety applications in VANETs. We focus on forwarding and recovery techniques for performance improvement, and we classify proposed protocols based on their applications and strategies. We then highlight vulnerabilities, possible attacks, and existing solutions to secure the dissemination process. Last, we discuss the open issues and research directions concerning secure data dissemination in VANETs.