Kaspersky Lab and AVL Software and Functions GmbH: In response to the growing digital challenges facing the connected and standalone car industry, Kaspersky Lab and AVL Software and Functions GmbH unveiled the Secure Communication Unit (SCU) yesterday of the New Mobility World / IAA 2017 held in Frankfurt.
The original security solution demonstrates the possibilities of communication between the car's components, the car itself and its externally connected infrastructure, making the connected cars safe-by-design.
With each generation, cars incorporate new "smart" technologies for remote diagnosis, telematics, automated and stand-alone driving, remote driver assistance and infotainment.
With base electromechanical vehicle actuators, car controls are becoming increasingly complex digital and parallel physical systems with many sensors, controls, applications, subnets and communication modules that interact with other vehicles and their environment. Their functions can be controlled remotely through digital systems. Because of this, connected cars are increasingly being targeted by digital criminals.
The growing number of third-party applications and the complexity of the system in connected cars, as well as the growing dynamics of software updates using "over-the-air" updates, make it difficult to test the complete system so that manufacturers can be sure that there are errors, resulting in backdoors and architectural issues to be overlooked.
The role of the Safe Communication Unit is to make connected cars secure-by-design, regardless of third party software and systems that may be installed. The SCU is a communication gateway of the control unit connected to various subnetworks and / or gateway controllers on these subnets within the car network, acting as a single secure gateway for incoming and outgoing communication flows.
Based on security policy enforcement and strong separation to prevent unwanted contact between various car accessories, the software helps ensure proper communications that are protected against interference within the car's network.
Reliable SCU software platform is made of security components that are reliable by-design. First, the proprietary microkernel operating system (KasperskyOS) is based on established security-oriented development principles and is specifically designed for embedded systems with strict digital security requirements.
KasperskyOS removes the possibility of unauthorized functionality and thus mitigates the risk of digital attacks: ακόμη κι αν ενσωματωθεί ένας μη εξουσιοδοτημένος κώδικας, δεν θα εκτελεστεί επειδή, εξ ορισμού, απαγορεύεται αυτή η μη τεκμηριωμένη mode.
Other tools include a security policy engine (Kaspersky Security System), ορίζοντας το συγκεκριμένο πεδίο εφαρμογής και το χαρακτήρα της αλληλεπίδρασης μεταξύ των διαφόρων εξαρτημάτων και ενός πλαισίου αξιόπιστων καναλιών με ένα σύνολο αλγορίθμων κρυπτογράφησης, καθώς και υπηρεσίες προστασίας χαμηλού επιπέδου που βασίζονται στις δυνατότητες του hardware.
The original SCU is implemented exemplarily in ARMv7 architecture with proposed RAM 128 MB and IOMMU. Other HW platforms can be deployed on a case-by-case basis, according to the requirements of the manufacturer.
Andrey Doukhvalov, Head of Future Technologies and Chief Security Architect of Kaspersky Lab, commented: "With today's automotive ecosystem becoming increasingly complex and interconnected, it's no surprise that consumers and the automotive industry itself are concerned about digital security. While the opportunities and the benefits is obvious, there is still a need to make car systems safe. That's why we're taking a big step forward with our prototype for secure in-car communications to ensure connectivity capabilities don't turn into failures."
The platform provides the framework for solutions for customized applications, allowing car manufacturers to develop and deploy unique SCUs in their cars, based on specific hardware and additional software components in alignment with their design plans.
SCU is available for OEM, ODM, system integrators and software developers around the world.
