Blockchain-Empowered Identity Management with a Dual Identity Model for UAVs in 5G Networks

In this work, we study secure and trusted authentication of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in 5G networks. Existing centralized UAV identity authentication mechanisms may only be able to verify the identity of the UAV itself or manage pilots, which are far from complete protection of legal access. Some recent works on UAV identity management are based on blockchain technology, in which UAV identities are generated through the blockchain software wallets, so they may be vulnerable to UAV identity forgery. To tackle the challenges described above, we propose an authentication mechanism based on a dual-identity (dual-ID) model for UAVs in 5G networks via a cross-layer design of SIM cards, blockchain, and smart contracts. The proposed self-sovereign UAV identity management procedure will then jointly process the authentications of both the UAV device and its pilot through the blockchain hardware wallets embedded in 5G SIM cards. In this way, a global registry of a unique identifier of each UAV device and each pilot can be ensured, and the identity forgery problem can also be avoided. Due to the limited power and processing capacity of UAV devices and the need of quick response for authentication, we employ 5G and multi-access edge computing (MEC) servers for communication and processing. To validate the proposed solution, a developed proof-of-concept system is tested through the 5G MEC testbed at National Taiwan University to demonstrate the flexibility and usability of UAV authentication.