Success Stories

Internet of Things Success Stories Series #3
Critical Challenges in the Connected Vehicle
Mobile networking with eCall
In the case of an accident, the eCall (emergency Call) system
automatically transmits position and other relevant data to
the rescue service. The provision of eCall will be obligatory in
the EU from 2017. In an eCall the SIM (Subscriber Identification
Modul) is the connecting element between the automotive
and the telecommunications world. It must meet both the
high quality demand of the automotive industry and the high
security demands of the mobile network providers.
To increase flexibility and improve customer service for
example when travelling in foreign countries, automotive
OEMs will be able to change the cellular providers. With the introduction
of this technology the security demands on the SIM
are increased because mobile phone providers must transmit
their secret access data into a SIM that has not been bought
from them and thus is beyond their direct control. Therefore
they request a security evaluation through independent third
parties following the common criteria standard. This requires
security controllers defined by GSMA (GSM Association, www.
gsma.com) and ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards
Institute, www.etsi.org).
Whereas eCall improves the fast treatment after the accident,
the C2C communication guarantees safe and efficient
road traffic. Protection of the private sphere of the driver and
network integrity are important security requirements here.
Security-certified security controllers like the SLI 97 family
effectively protect in this application with cryptographic methods
and key material.
Reliable authentication
The reliable authentication is a key aspect of automotive
security systems. Most popular is the immobilizer as central
part of theft protection. In this case authentication
takes place between the ignition key and one or more ECUs
in the vehicle. But inside the vehicle, too, authentication is
deployed, for instance to protect components between ECUs
to identify replacement of components that are unwanted by
the manufacturer.
The immobiliser in the 90-s dramatically reduced car theft in
Germany after its introduction, but meanwhile statistics stagnate
or show a slow upward trend. This is partly due to inappropriate
and obsolete encryption processes, but more and
more missing secure key memories are the reason. A possible
solution could be the deeper integration of the security system
into the car electronics. For this purpose Infineon with its
AURIX familiy offers 32-bit microcontrollers with integrated
Hardware Security Modul (HSM). More than a powerful CPU
with a special memory protected against access to store cryptographic
keys and the unambiguous user identification, efficient
encryption processes like AES-128 and a specific hardware
for the generation of random numbers are needed.
3. Conclusion
Electronics plays an important role to increase safety. Potential
or real attacks of important safety components like brake or
steering systems must be recognized and corrected autonomously
to protect vehicle and passengers from damages. At
the same time security plays an increasingly important role.
Ever more connections of the vehicle with the environment is
accompanied by an increased risk of cyber attacks on ECUs
e.g. for motor and brakes. For this reason data integrity of all
safety- and security-critical functions has to be protected. To
this end already today Infineon provides powerful microcontrollers
and discrete components.
There are several modern semiconductor solutions available
for implementation of the necessary security functions in
connected cars: powerful microcontrollers with special security
modules, dedicated security controllers and TPM security
elements. For instance the 32-bit microcontroller of the
AURIX family offers special function blocks like «Security
Hardware Extension» (SHE) or «Hardware Security Module»
(HSM). The HSM for example through signature of messages
or complete encryption takes over the secure communication
with other microcontrollers. Additionally the HSM can be
used to securely boot the microcontroller. Discrete hardware
solutions such as security controllers or controllers with TPM
functionality bring the proven expertise of the chip card area
into the automotive world. So critical data, components and
IP can be protected. Scalable products allow optimum compromises
between level of security and cost. Risks are minimized
through the use of standardized function blocks and
components instead of proprietary solutions.
Internet of Things • Success Stories 25 SERIES #3 - November 2015