Security of vehicular ad-hoc networks: A comprehensive survey

Vehicles equipped with significant computing, communication and sensing (also known as “smart” vehicles), are being focused by Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The primitive target of Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) is to deliver safer and efficient traffic conditions by providing real time traffic conditions to automobiles and involved trusted third parties. This paper reviews eminent safety solutions to address the security aspects for VANETs. Four ingredients of this paper are (a) attacks and security mechanisms in VANETs (b) comparative analysis of security schemes based on cryptography mechanism used (c) trust management schemes based upon discrete characteristics and intrusion detection systems (d) open issues which need a thorough consideration in the future. Here we discuss how the research reflects the evolutionary growth of security attacks with its future prophesy, based upon the past developments in the area of computer security.