Distributed crypto ignition key management and generalization in intelligent transportation systems

The security of cryptographic keys is critical in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), where multi-source data and real-time decision-making require robust cryptographic mechanisms. The Crypto Ignition Key (CIK) is a widely used hardware solution for securely storing and managing critical cryptographic keys in ITS. However, traditional CIK implementations have limitations inherent to their physical nature, leading to security risks, high costs, and inflexibility. This article presents a novel Distributed CIK (D-CIK) scheme that moves beyond hardware-defined models toward a decentralized, software-defined approach. Our solution advances traditional Distributed Key Generation (DKG) methods by introducing a unique asymmetric key-splitting technique tailored for ITS applications. This work provides a rigorous cryptographic foundation for the scheme, defining its key distribution and management mechanisms within a decentralized framework. The paper presents a formal security analysis that proves correctness, completeness, security, and operational integrity via simulation-based proofs. Finally, the paper presents both theoretical efficiency analysis and experimental performance evaluation. Results demonstrate that D-CIK achieves practical scalability with competitive runtime performance and acceptable communication and computational complexity compared with existing approaches. This research bridges a critical gap between cryptographic key management and ITS security, offering a scalable and secure alternative to hardware-based CIK solutions.