Secure and intelligent SDN-IoV framework with blockchain-based authentication and optimization-based QoS routing

The rapid evolution of the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and the Software Defined Networking (SDN) has enabled dynamic, programmable and scalable vehicular communication systems. Still, the acquisition of secure authentication, efficient routing, and Quality of Service (QoS) management remains the challenging task due to the high mobility, varying data demands and security threats. To address the issues, this research introduces the Blockchain-enabled SDN-IoV framework with secure authentication, priority-based request management and optimal routing. Initially, all the vehicular requests are checked for the legitimacy using the blockchain-based authentication to prevent malicious intrusions using the decentralized trust management. Then, the priority for the request is determined based on task deadline, data size, vehicle speed and emergency condition. By considering the priority, requests are allocated to edge or cloud nodes for further processing. In this, the routing is employed using the Iterative Fossa Optimization (ItFO) algorithm based on multi-objective functions like end-to-end delay, residual energy, link reliability and security factors. The proposed SDN-IoV framework enhances the security, QoS, and energy efficiency of vehicular communications in highly dynamic SDN-IoV environments.