Cyber ​​security in automobiles is becoming increasingly important!

Recently updated on September 11, 2023 at 01:13 am

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The security company UltraSoC announces with CAN-Sentinel a significant extension of the security offer for automobiles. A new IP adds the CAN bus (Automotive industry networking standard used by global industry) an essential secure element from the vehicle.

How the element works:

The CAN Sentinel is connected to the bus. As soon as the connection is established, the IP monitors all vehicle transactions, records dubious activities and protects against incorrect messages and attacks from outside. The program is individually configurable, it ensures adequate protection against attacks and spoofers and allows the system to be refreshed when the situation is eased. Can-Sentinel has been developed as a component of the Secure-CAV consortium and is thus firmly integrated into the monitoring architecture and security analysis of UltraSoC, which guarantees the use of a powerful system with extensive cybersecurity.

CAN bus is standard in the vehicle

Since the company's launch almost 30 years ago, the controller area network bus (CAN bus) has become the predominant standard in the automotive industry. And it is a fact that the system runs flawlessly without question. Even so, there have been a number of high-profile attacks recently - for example the MVJH (Miller-Valasek-Jeep-Hack). This confirmed the high safety risk in modern cars. Cybersecurity in the automotive industry is becoming more and more valuable because a large number of product recalls depend on it: an estimated 2016 million dollars were thrown out of the window in connection with product recalls in 26. The manufacturer GM alone had to recall a good 23 million vehicles within one year.

Comments on CAN bus security

Professor Siraj Ahmed Shaikh (Institute of Future Transport and Cities (IFTC) at Coventry University) said that the CAN bus is a difficult topic in terms of vehicle designs and that there is an urgent need to make the program more secure. In addition, the program is intended to help identify and detect new, as yet unknown dangers. Gajinder Panesar, Chief Technical Officer of UltraSoC added that the CAN bus has been a major contributor to vehicle safety in the past 30 years. But added that there would be no active safety in modern vehicles without such a program as CAN-Sentinel. It is very important that researchers in automobility technology perceive the upcoming risks. He cited the UltraSoC range as an example, which are considered a simple tool with inexhaustible potential and guarantee the safety of vehicles without question. The products are also intelligent and learn to adapt to rapid changes.

Descent from the CAN Sentinel system

The basic structure of CAN-Sentinel comes from its predecessor, the UltraSoC-Bus-Sentinel. This was the company's first cyber security product in the automotive industry and was launched in late 2019. It should bring a secure monitoring architecture to the center of a security-critical building block. Especially in applications such as the networking of autonomous vehicles. The product of the whole is connected to UltraSoC's integrated security analysis architecture to find a complete and all-encompassing integrated security solution. Fundamentally, the CAN bus is a development that guarantees agile communication with systems such as the steering, airbags, door locks, etc. Despite the fact that it ensures a high level of functional reliability, it cannot reject cyber attacks. The first attempts to secure the CAN bus failed. This was partly due to the approach, which was not considered enough. Ultimately, UltraSoC integrated safety directly into the bus and thus ensures success. Frame spoofing hacks that can paralyze the vehicle from outside are a thing of the past.

Imitation apps and malware attacks

And the topic of app imitations and malware attacks is also not uninteresting for the car. Finally, modern vehicles allow various apps to be installed in the car. An example is a navigation app for route planning or a casino app that allows free spins without a deposit. In fact, it didn't take long for Android users to download apps that they thought were official apps. But there have been cases where they downloaded an imitation that played malware onto the car's system. This malware was unable to take control, but various error messages and unwanted pop-ups did occur. To prevent this from happening, we explain what malware is and how you can protect yourself from illegal access to your vehicle, smartphone or tablet.

What is malware anyway?

Malware is an umbrella term for apps or programs that are only designed to harm you. This includes, for example, complete illegal access to your personal or your bank details, activating your camera or microphone, reporting your location or reading your emails, text or voice messages. Malware comes in different versions, all of which are more or less dangerous for the owner of the infiltrated device. The most popular types of malware include:

• Viruses: A virus attacks the system and tries to make it unusable in most cases.
• Worms: Worms are primarily interested in your stored data and search them for the infection.
• Keylogger: You record all entries that you make. Every password you type in is reported, for example.
• Rogueware: This is an intruder who pretends to lock your system until you make a payment.
• Trojans: This category also includes app imitations. Trojans look trustworthy and let you believe that you download a safe program.

How to protect yourself from attacks by imitation apps

First of all, it should be said that the risk of catching malware through an app imitation is many times higher for users of Android devices than for users of Apple devices. Every single app in the Apple App Store is strictly checked by Apple itself before it is made available for download in the store. This is not the case with apps for Android devices, so you should be particularly careful which app you download from Google Play. Fortunately, however, you can protect yourself against malware attacks regardless of the operating system of your smartphone or tablet, and you can do it fairly efficiently. The best and perhaps most radical measure is to download an anti-virus app. These mobile security apps may come at a cost, but the security of your data should be worth the investment. Since your Android smartphone is a kind of mini PC, you can also protect yourself with a security device that you already know from your PC, the firewall. Download a tested and reliable firewall app from the Play Store and increase the protection of your smartphone or tablet. Another way to protect yourself is to keep your smartphone constantly up-to-date. The updates are often so-called security updates that close known security gaps.

difficult but not impossible - in the car

Hackers can use tools from the Darknet to put together a ransomware attack, for example, and then blackmail the driver. In particular for fleets such as trucks, buses or agricultural machinery, this could have far-reaching consequences if various vehicle components, for example, only make it possible to start driving against money. Internet sites with drive-by downloads, messages such as SMS, emails and even DAB + radio or connected devices such as smartphones, navigation systems, OBD-II connectors and even backends from manufacturers and suppliers for cloud services or software updates are possible Candidates who can receive such malicious software and transfer it to the vehicle. So it is exciting to see what will happen there in the next few years to make a car permanently safe.

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