MobChain: Three-Way Collusion Resistance in Witness-Oriented Location Proof Systems Using Distributed Consensus
Smart devices have accentuated the importance of geolocation information. Geolocation identification using smart devices has paved the path for incentive-based location-based services (LBS). However, a user’s full control over a smart device can allow tampering of the location proof. Witness-oriente...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/15/5096 |
| _version_ | 1797525152244695040 |
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| author | Faheem Zafar Abid Khan Saif Ur Rehman Malik Mansoor Ahmed Carsten Maple Adeel Anjum |
| author_facet | Faheem Zafar Abid Khan Saif Ur Rehman Malik Mansoor Ahmed Carsten Maple Adeel Anjum |
| author_sort | Faheem Zafar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Smart devices have accentuated the importance of geolocation information. Geolocation identification using smart devices has paved the path for incentive-based location-based services (LBS). However, a user’s full control over a smart device can allow tampering of the location proof. Witness-oriented location proof systems (LPS) have emerged to resist the generation of false proofs and mitigate collusion attacks. However, witness-oriented LPS are still susceptible to three-way collusion attacks (involving the user, location authority, and the witness). To overcome the threat of three-way collusion in existing schemes, we introduce a decentralized consensus protocol called MobChain in this paper. In this scheme the selection of a witness and location authority is achieved through a distributed consensus of nodes in an underlying P2P network that establishes a private blockchain. The persistent provenance data over the blockchain provides strong security guarantees; as a result, the forging and manipulation of location becomes impractical. MobChain provides secure location provenance architecture, relying on decentralized decision making for the selection of participants of the protocol thereby addressing the three-way collusion problem. Our prototype implementation and comparison with the state-of-the-art solutions show that MobChain is computationally efficient and highly available while improving the security of LPS. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:09:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ec9f1456653245e4ace34ecc980f4897 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:09:39Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-ec9f1456653245e4ace34ecc980f48972023-11-22T06:10:26ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202021-07-012115509610.3390/s21155096MobChain: Three-Way Collusion Resistance in Witness-Oriented Location Proof Systems Using Distributed ConsensusFaheem Zafar0Abid Khan1Saif Ur Rehman Malik2Mansoor Ahmed3Carsten Maple4Adeel Anjum5Department of Computer Science, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad 42000, PakistanDepartment of Computer Science, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3DB, UKCybernetica AS, 12618 Tallinn, EstoniaDepartment of Computer Science, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad 42000, PakistanSecure Cyber Systems Research Group, WMG, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UKDepartment of Computer Science, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad 42000, PakistanSmart devices have accentuated the importance of geolocation information. Geolocation identification using smart devices has paved the path for incentive-based location-based services (LBS). However, a user’s full control over a smart device can allow tampering of the location proof. Witness-oriented location proof systems (LPS) have emerged to resist the generation of false proofs and mitigate collusion attacks. However, witness-oriented LPS are still susceptible to three-way collusion attacks (involving the user, location authority, and the witness). To overcome the threat of three-way collusion in existing schemes, we introduce a decentralized consensus protocol called MobChain in this paper. In this scheme the selection of a witness and location authority is achieved through a distributed consensus of nodes in an underlying P2P network that establishes a private blockchain. The persistent provenance data over the blockchain provides strong security guarantees; as a result, the forging and manipulation of location becomes impractical. MobChain provides secure location provenance architecture, relying on decentralized decision making for the selection of participants of the protocol thereby addressing the three-way collusion problem. Our prototype implementation and comparison with the state-of-the-art solutions show that MobChain is computationally efficient and highly available while improving the security of LPS.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/15/5096location-based services (LBS)location prooflocation provenancelocalizationblockchain |
| spellingShingle | Faheem Zafar Abid Khan Saif Ur Rehman Malik Mansoor Ahmed Carsten Maple Adeel Anjum MobChain: Three-Way Collusion Resistance in Witness-Oriented Location Proof Systems Using Distributed Consensus Sensors location-based services (LBS) location proof location provenance localization blockchain |
| title | MobChain: Three-Way Collusion Resistance in Witness-Oriented Location Proof Systems Using Distributed Consensus |
| title_full | MobChain: Three-Way Collusion Resistance in Witness-Oriented Location Proof Systems Using Distributed Consensus |
| title_fullStr | MobChain: Three-Way Collusion Resistance in Witness-Oriented Location Proof Systems Using Distributed Consensus |
| title_full_unstemmed | MobChain: Three-Way Collusion Resistance in Witness-Oriented Location Proof Systems Using Distributed Consensus |
| title_short | MobChain: Three-Way Collusion Resistance in Witness-Oriented Location Proof Systems Using Distributed Consensus |
| title_sort | mobchain three way collusion resistance in witness oriented location proof systems using distributed consensus |
| topic | location-based services (LBS) location proof location provenance localization blockchain |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/15/5096 |
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