Automotive Security through New Communication Lockdown
The automotive industry is moving towards
a service-oriented vehicle, where the
passengers (or drivers) and their needs are
the focal point rather than the vehicle itself.
This concept is focused on the ability to
continuously and securely change vehicle
capabilities, instantaneously, on-demand
and over-the-air (OTA) from future OEM app
stores.
I NTRODUCTION
In today’s connected world, ensuring a
vehicle’s security must be addressed
through a comprehensive understanding of
all networked communication channels
internal and external to the vehicle. This
article presents an innovative methodology,
Communication
Lockdown,
including
Network Orchestration, from development
to production, as implemented in a
centralized communication gateway based
on Xilinx’s configurable Zynq® SoC
programmable technology. This includes a
description of the methodology, advantages
and differentiating values of the
technologies involved.
Automotive cyber security for modern
connected and autonomous vehicles require
a solution that is:
1) Cyber-secure: In today’s vehicles, safety
and security are inherently the same.
Modern vehicles host hundreds of sensors
and ECUs powered by more than 100 million
lines 2 of software code. Cameras and
sensing devices stream gigabytes of data in
real time. A typical vehicle might also host
several different types of local area
networks such as CAN bus, Ethernet, and
LIN. Manufacturers source hardware and
software from different suppliers. No single
player controls, or is familiar with, all of the
possible attack vectors within any vehicle. As
such, vehicles constitute a massive attack
surface that could be used to exploit
sensitive data, financial information and
much more.
P ROBLEM S TATEMENT
As vehicles drive towards autonomy, they
multiply in complexity, becoming far more
connected. Today’s vehicles are highly
sophisticated local area networks on wheels
that controls numerous complex systems via
hundreds of micro-processors, up to 150
ECUs 1 (automotive computers), and
numerous sensors, interconnected by a
high-speed,
high-availability
internal
communications network.
1
Techopedia. “Your Car, Your Computer: ECUs and the Controller Area Network” https://www.techopedia.com/your-car-your-
computer-ecus-and-the-controller-area-network/2/32218
2
MIT Technology Review. “Many Cars Have a Hundred Million Lines of Code”
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/508231/many-cars-have-a-hundred-million-lines-of-code/
IIC Journal of Innovation
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