ReFIoV: a novel reputation framework for information-centric vehicular applications

In this article, a novel reputation framework for information-centric vehicular applications leveraging on machine learning and the artificial immune system (AIS), also known as ReFIoV, is proposed. Specifically, Bayesian learning and classification allow each node to learn as newly observed data of the behavior of other nodes become available and hence classify these nodes, meanwhile, the K-Means clustering algorithm allows to integrate recommendations from other nodes even if they behave in an unpredictable manner. AIS is used to enhance misbehavior detection. The proposed ReFIoV can be implemented in a distributed manner as each node decides with whom to interact. It provides incentives for nodes to cache and forward others’ mobile data as well as achieves robustness against false accusations and praise. The performance evaluation shows that ReFIoV outperforms state-of-the-art reputation systems for the metrics considered. That is, it presents a very low number of misbehaving nodes incorrectly classified in comparison to another reputation scheme. The proposed AIS mechanism presents a low overhead. The incorporation of recommendations enabled the framework to reduce even further detection time

A state consistency framework leveraging packet cloning and piggybacking for programmable network data planes

The Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technology is a network management method that allows dynamic, programmatically efficient network planning to improve its performance and monitoring. Given that SDN at each passing day becomes more prominent, a framework that can ensure reliable communication and a global state among devices become more important. We propose a state consistency framework that leverages a state machine abstraction using network updates among adjacent switches through packet piggybacking. We also use a moving average that when a condition is met, P4's packet cloning is triggered, hence ensuring that all packets arrive at their destination in the presence of link failures

REPSYS: A robust and distributed incentive scheme for collaborative caching and dissemination in content-centric cellular-based vehicular delay-tolerant networks

In this article, a robust and distributed incentive scheme for collaborative caching and dissemination in content-centric cellular-based vehicular delay-tolerant networks (REPSYS) is proposed. REPSYS is robust because despite taking into account first- and second-hand information, it is resilient against false accusations and praise, and distributed, as the decision to interact with another node depends entirely on each node. The performance evaluation shows that REPSYS is capable, while evaluating each node's participation in the network, of correctly classifying nodes in most cases. In addition, it reveals that there are trade-offs in REPSYS, for example, to reduce detection time of nodes that neither cache nor disseminate other nodes' data, one may sacrifice the system's resilience against false accusations and praise, or even, by penalizing nodes that do not disseminate data, one may temporarily isolate nodes that could contribute to data dissemination

Blockchain-based solutions for UAV-assisted connected vehicle networks in smart cities: a review, open issues, and future perspectives

It had been predicted that by 2020, nearly 26 billion devices would be connected to the Internet, with a big percentage being vehicles. The Internet of Vehicles (IoVa) is a concept that refers to the connection and cooperation of smart vehicles and devices in a network through the generation, transmission, and processing of data that aims at improving traffic congestion, travel time, and comfort, all the while reducing pollution and accidents. However, this transmission of sensitive data (e.g., location) needs to occur with defined security properties to safeguard vehicles and their drivers since attackers could use this data. Blockchain is a fairly recent technology that guarantees trust between nodes through cryptography mechanisms and consensus protocols in distributed, untrustful environments, like IoV networks. Much research has been done in implementing the former in the latter to impressive results, as Blockchain can cover and offer solutions to many IoV problems. However, these implementations have to deal with the challenge of IoV node’s resource constraints since they do not suffice for the computational and energy requirements of traditional Blockchain systems, which is one of the biggest limitations of Blockchain implementations in IoV. Finally, these two technologies can be used to build the foundations for smart cities, enabling new application models and better results for end-users

ePRIVO: an enhanced PRIvacy-preserVing opportunistic routing protocol for vehicular delay-tolerant networks

This article proposes an enhanced PRIvacy preserVing Opportunistic routing protocol (ePRIVO) for Vehicular Delay-Tolerant Networks (VDTN). ePRIVO models a VDTN as a time-varying neighboring graph where edges correspond to neighboring relationship between pairs of vehicles. It addresses the problem of vehicles taking routing decision meanwhile keeping their information private, i.e, vehicles compute their similarity and/or compare their routing metrics in a private manner using the Paillier homomorphic encryption scheme. The effectiveness of ePRIVO is supported through extensive simulations with synthetic mobility models and a real mobility trace. Simulation results show that ePRIVO presents on average very low cryptographic costs in most scenarios. Additionally, ePRIVO presents on average gains of approximately 29% and 238% in terms of delivery ratio for the real and synthetic scenarios considered compared to other privacy-preserving routing protocols

A dynamic clustering mechanism with load-balancing for Flying Ad Hoc NETworks

Flying Ad Hoc NETworks (FANETs) are expected to have a significant impact in several use-cases, from smart agriculture and cities, to mission critical scenarios. The recent surge in the use of FANETs is motivated by their adaptable and flexible behaviour in different scenarios (e.g. disaster-hit locations) allowing the usage of services that require information from remote locations, such as for assessment of damages, checking for survivors, or providing onsite views to assist rescue teams. While FANETs have been developed to provide such critical services, disseminating data with proper performance faces challenges due to inherent properties of FANETs, namely frequent wireless disconnections, intermittent available nodes, and dynamic topologies, mostly when facing an increasing number of deployed unmanned aerial vehicles. Aiming to tackle these challenges, we propose a new Dynamic Clustering Mechanism with Load-Balancing able to support efficient dissemination of data packets in FANETs while ensuring good reliability and scalability factors. The proposed solution is based on the combination of a new meta-heuristic optimization scheme, known as Political Optimizer, used to perform clustering while addressing limitations caused by topology changes, and a new Shannon entropy function implemented to address cluster fault tolerant and traffic overloads. Simulation results show that by combining our proposed model with standard position-based routing protocols, a higher number of end-to-end transmissions are ensured, while supporting an average packet delivery ratio of 97%, an average end-to-end delay of 0.225 seconds, and an average power consumption 37% lower than other state-of-the-art clustering protocols

An intelligent intrusion detection system for 5G-enabled internet of vehicles

The deployment of 5G technology has drawn attention to different computer-based scenarios. It is useful in the context of Smart Cities, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Edge Computing, among other systems. With the high number of connected vehicles, providing network security solutions for the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) is not a trivial process due to its decentralized management structure and heterogeneous characteristics (e.g., connection time, and high-frequency changes in network topology due to high mobility, among others). Machine learning (ML) algorithms have the potential to extract patterns to cover security requirements better and to detect/classify malicious behavior in a network. Based on this, in this work we propose an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) for detecting Flooding attacks in vehicular scenarios. We also simulate 5G-enabled vehicular scenarios using the Network Simulator 3 (NS-3). We generate four datasets considering different numbers of nodes, attackers, and mobility patterns extracted from Simulation of Urban MObility (SUMO). Furthermore, our conducted tests show that the proposed IDS achieved an F1 score of 1.00 and 0.98 using decision trees and random forests, respectively, which means that it was able to properly classify the Flooding attack in the 5G vehicular environment considered

An edge-based smart network monitoring system for the Internet of Vehicles

The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) is the future of transportation. It will be present everywhere and will have a huge impact on our lives. However, there are plenty of aspects to consider while studying these networks, such as data dissemination, cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. For an IoV to work efficiently, data needs to spread through it efficiently. However, the dynamics of vehicular environments due to frequent node mobility and nodes' misbehavior poses many challenges to efficient data dissemination. Therefore, a deep learning-based monitoring system that is capable of detecting anomalies in the network and identifying known misbehavior is proposed. Performance evaluation shows that the monitoring system can identify well-known attacks with a very high success rate. Besides, the algorithm is also capable of detecting other types of misbehavior without labeling them

Birep: a reputation scheme to mitigate the effects of black-hole nodes in delay-tolerant internet of vehicles

Delay-tolerant networking (DTN) enables communication in disruptive scenarios where issues such as sparse and intermittent connectivity, long and variable delays, high latency, high error rates, or no end-to-end connectivity exist. Internet of Vehicles (IoV) is a network of the future in which integration between devices, vehicles, and users will be unlimited and universal, overcoming the heterogeneity of systems, services, applications, and devices. Delay-tolerant internet of vehicles (DT-IoV) is emerging and becoming a popular research topic due to the critical applications that can be realized, such as software or map update dissemination. For an IoV to work efficiently, a degree of cooperation between nodes is necessary to deliver messages to their destinations. However, nodes might misbehave and silently drop messages, also known as a black-hole attack, degrading network performance. Various solutions have been proposed to deal with black-hole nodes, but most are centralized or require each node to meet every other node. This paper proposes a decentralized reputation scheme called BiRep that identifies and punishes black-hole nodes in DT-IoV. BiRep is tested on the Prophet routing protocol. Simulation results show excellent performance in all scenarios, comparable or better to other reputation schemes, significantly increasing the delivery ratio of messages

Development of mobile IoT solutions: approaches, architectures, and methodologies

Modern Living, as we know it, has been impacted meaningfully by the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT consists of a network of things that collect data from machines (e.g., mobile devices) and people. Mobile application development is a flourishing tendency, given the increasing popularity of smartphones. Nowadays, users are accessing their desired services on the smartphone by means of dedicated applications as the latter offers a more customized and prompt service. In addition, companies are also looking to persuade users by offering interactive and effective mobile applications. Mobile application developers are using IoT to develop better applications. However, there is no generalized consensus on the selection of best architecture or even the most suitable communications protocols to be used on an IoT application development. Therefore, this article aims at presenting approaches, architectures, and methodologies relevant to the development of mobile IoT solutions