Securing Internet of Vehicles by using Blockchain and TESLA Protocol

Abstract

In a world where autonomous vehicles are becoming more mainstream, secondary issues start arising. With millions of such vehicles projected to be on the road in the future, issues such as congestion, communication, and the security and safety of such communication need to be solved. With this in mind, the focus should shift towards the design and improvement of communication protocols. One of the protocols that has been useful in enabling communication between IoT devices is the TESLA protocol. The TESLA protocol has several strengths, such as enabling communication between constrained devices. However, it also has inherent weaknesses and technological vulnerabilities. This project describes how the TESLA protocol can be improved using blockchain technology. It details the weaknesses of the TESLA protocol, the strengths of the blockchain technology, and how they can be combined to improve and protect communication between autonomous vehicles in the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) system. It also describes the proposed system design and provides recommendations for future considerations in research and design. The performance analysis shows just how effective the code and system work in terms of managing the vehicles and the integration between the blockchain and TESLA protocol.

Date of Award	27 May 2024
Original language	American English
Supervisor	Chan Yeun (Supervisor)