LoRa-Based Physical Layer Key Generation for Secure V2V/V2I Communications

Area of Science:

• Cybersecurity
• Wireless Communication
• Internet of Things (IoT)

Background:

• Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication, including Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), is crucial for autonomous vehicles.
• Existing V2X security protocols face challenges in key distribution and management.
• Physical layer key generation offers a lightweight, flexible, and dynamic solution for V2X security.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a LoRa-based physical layer key generation scheme for V2V and V2I communications.
• To enhance the security of V2X systems by addressing key distribution and management challenges.
• To improve key generation rates and prevent information leakage in V2X networks.

Main Methods:

• A LoRa-based communication protocol was utilized to measure Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) for key generation.
• A multi-bit quantization algorithm and an improved Cascade key agreement protocol were employed.
• The proposed scheme was implemented on a V2V/V2I network system prototype for real-world testing.

Main Results:

• The LoRa-based scheme achieved key generation rates exceeding 10 bit/s, reaching up to 20 bit/s in experiments.
• The generated binary key sequences successfully passed all statistical tests from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
• The implementation demonstrated improved key generation efficiency and reduced information leakage.

Conclusions:

• The proposed physical layer key generation scheme is effective for securing V2V/V2I communications.
• LoRa technology, combined with advanced algorithms, provides a robust solution for secure V2X key management.
• The scheme offers a practical and efficient approach to enhance the security of future autonomous vehicle networks.