A fog-driven three-factor authentication protocol for secure data sharing in Internet of Vehicles cyber-physical systems

The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) has potentially escalated the management of vehicle and route planning. However, as the IoV becomes more prevalent, safeguarding the privacy and security of IoV data becomes crucial. Additionally, because vehicles often operate with minimal human interference, they become susceptible to various types of attacks that can compromise their privacy and security. In this article, we propose a three-factor authentication system based on CROPUF (Crossover Ring Oscillator Physically Unclonable Function) that not only secures transmissions but also ensures safety against physical intervention. The three-factor authentication protocol (passwords, biometrics, and PUF) avoids registering any confidential information in the user device eliminating the possibility of intrusion by an intruder. We also propose the use of aggregators (charging stations that act as mediators between the IoV and the data center) as a fog layer communication which will reduce load and improve the efficiency of communication between vehicles and the data center. Finally, the security analysis validates that our proposed method can survive several well-known assaults and achieve the required features of security by maintaining the user anonymity.