Evaluation Criterias for Trust Management in Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs)

Vehicular Ad-hoc networks (VANETs) have been around for some time and are still attracting research. VANETs are one of the ad hoc networks real-life applications, where vehicles communicate which each other and with fixed components known as roadside units. VANETs have unique characteristics and requirements which differ from those in standard ad-hoc networks, but the security remains a major challenge because of the very dynamic topology and the lack of infrastructure. In this autonomous and auto-organized environment, the question of whom to trust and for what becomes very important and difficult to answer. This paper addresses the issues associated with establishing trust between peers in VANET. It defines, discusses and evaluates various trust management approaches and how well they address VANET requirements. The paper also proposes criteria for assessing the effectiveness of trust management models with regards to challenges specific to VANETs.