Non-Interactive Group Key Distribution for Reduced Communication Overhead in Smart Traffic Light Systems

Abstract

This letter proposes a non-interactive group key distribution scheme that enables secure and low communication overhead in Smart Traffic Light Systems (STLS). The scheme integrates lightweight hash–XOR mutual authentication with polynomial-based key derivation, enabling all entities to compute the group key locally without requiring multi-round interactions. BAN logic analysis confirms mutual authentication, while the security evaluation shows resilience against common adversarial threats. NS-2 simulations using real traffic light deployment data show substantial reductions in communication overhead, computation cost, and energy consumption compared to existing methods. The design also supports dynamic membership through a single broadcast-based rekeying mechanism, demonstrating the scheme’s efficiency, scalability, adaptability, and suitability for real-time STLS deployment.