Detection of Sybil Attacks in Vehicular Ad hoc Networks Based on Road Side Unit Support

Until recently vehicles and transportation systems were considered as the realm of mechanical engineers, but the need for the road safety and desire to be connected to the world, has broaden the industry scope. In order to do so Intelligent Transport System has been introduced and for few years, Vehicular Ad hoc Networks are getting much attention. The advance developments, wireless communication and life safety point towards to take into consideration the need of security in VANETs. In VANET, many attacks are possible and can cause serious damages to life. One such attack is Sybil attack. Sybil attacks have been regarded as a serious security threat to Ad hoc Networks and Sensor Networks. They may also damage the potential applications of Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) by creating a deception of traffic congestion. Here we look on how the Sybil attack works and possible ways that an attacker can cause harm by launching these types of attacks in VANETS, along with the detection schemes that can be used to identify Sybil nodes and prevent the network from various hurtful effects. Later we propose improvements in RSU supported certificate based detection mechanism which may be helpful in solving problems with the current model.