C-V2X Security Requirements and Procedures: Survey and Research Directions (1807.09338v1)

Abstract: The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defines the first specifications for cellular-based vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communications in Release 14. C-V2X extends LTE's device-to-device communication modes by adding two new modes of operation for vehicular systems in coverage and out of coverage of an LTE base station, or eNB. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication mode does not rely on the cellular infrastructure and the C-V2X devices employ a distributed and sensing-based semi-persistent scheduling to schedule their packet transmissions. As a promising alternative to dedicated short range communications, the security aspects of C-V2X need to be carefully designed and evaluated to ensure the availability and integrity of the service and data. This paper discusses possible threat scenarios, reviews the 3GPP specifications and finds that, despite the safety-critical nature of C-V2X, only few mechanisms and procedures have be specified to secure the system. We discuss emerging technologies and provide research directions to improve C-V2X system security and reliability and ensure their widespread adoption in civilian and mission-critical communication contexts.