In modern cars, there are a number of controllers that play a major role in the overall operations of the vehicles. The secure and updated firmware of these controllers is crucial to the overall security and reliability of the vehicle and its electronic system (s). Therefore, the life cycle of these controllers should be carefully managed. In this paper, we examine the vehicular firmware updates process and their associated security issues. We have analysed the security of the firmware update protocol proposed in the EVITA project, referred as EVITA protocol, which is considered as a main industrial effort in this field and found some potential shortcomings. Based on the analysis, in this paper we have suggested a number of improvements to the EVITA protocol, related with safety and security measures. The proposed improved protocol, also referred as EVITA+ protocol includes a rollback mechanism while preserving the confidentiality of the firmware. The integrity and authenticity of the flash driver are also considered in the EVITA+ protocol. The EVITA+ protocol is formally analysed using Casper FDR and Scyther to ensure the security of the firmware update process. Finally, we provide an insight analysis and our experience in relation to the efficiency, suitability and performance of the aforementioned tools in the field of automotive security.

Don't Brick Your Car: Firmware Confidentiality and Rollback for Vehicles

Day after day, users' expectations of tomorrow vehicles' features are increasing. Although the industry's prime goal is users' satisfaction, many unsolved problems are still present. Amongst the major challenges are the huge interconnections and dependability within the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) used inside vehicles. Five years ago, the number of ECUs within a vehicle was about 70 ECUs. This number has doubled nowadays, and it is expected to double again in the near future. This adds challenges to both of network management and network security. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the CAN immunity against attacks. In this paper, we focus on the lightweight CAN authentication protocol, investigate the protocol immunity against Denial of service attack, and propose a solution for this attack. As a result, we achieve security protocol that is suitable for all security aspects.

Replay attack on lightweight CAN authentication protocol

A flow-graph depicts the interrelationships among cyber security and security threats/incidents i.e., internal, external, and accidental. Using a flow-graph, the manner in which security threats may affect systems can be investigated. This paper reports analytical approaches to analyze time to security threats and probability of security threat occurrence. Considering embedded threat detection functions in a safe-guard unit, the proposed approaches use the flow-graph concept, and Markovian method to calculate time to security threat occurrence and its probability. The threat detection functions are featured by incident detection and recovery mechanisms. The results of this study can be used by all parties public and private sector organizations, service providers, IT, and insurance companies to better deal with cyber security issues with respect to utilizing technology, investment, and insurance. An illustrative example is demonstrated to present the application of the approach.

Flow-Graph and Markovian Methods for Cyber Security Analysis

The faultless operation of systems which are safety-critical like the anti-lock braking system (ABS), fuel control system (especially during cruise control), traction control system, etc., is equally dependent on both the logical as well as the temporal correctness of the output generated, and hence, systems like these can be called as the real-time systems (RTS), specifically, hard real-time systems. In this paper, various security issues relevant to such automotive systems have been studied and tested. Based on the observations made, a feasibility study is done on using OSEK/VDX for wireless sensor network applications.

Vulnerability Analysis of Real-Time Operating Systems for Wireless Sensor Networks

Connected cars have Internet access and connectivity to supporting infrastructures and other vehicles. This enables them to take advantage of smart applications (such as crash alert and real-time location) that can be used in different phases of the car’s life cycle. Automotive systems consist of a number of subsystems and networks that operate a car. In this thesis, we analyse the security and privacy aspects of automotive systems in connected cars. The analysis is performed through selected vehicular applications; the vehicular firmware update, forensics and maintenance logging systems. The applications are selected to cover various aspects of security during the different phases of the car’s life cycle. For each vehicular application, the process, challenges and requirements are considered. Our analysis of the security and privacy requirements of the automotive systems provides valuable insights into the overall reliability and safety of connected cars. Firstly, we looked into the firmware update application for vehicular systems as this is crucial in ensuring the safety and reliability of the car. One of the main industrial projects, the E-safety Vehicle Intrusion Protected Applications (EVITA) project, has proposed a firmware update over-the-air protocol. We found some shortcomings in the operations of this protocol and proposed an improvement, EVITA+, which provides additional assurance by considering both security and general requirements to ensure a successful update. Secondly, we propose a firmware update protocol using a mobile device, with a mechanism that protects the intellectual property of the firmware and ensures reliability during updates. Thirdly, in the forensics application, the main consideration of the protocol is to protect data privacy while giving access to the car owner. Finally, in the maintenance logging application, we give data access to the car owner, while ensuring authenticity. The exploitation of mobile devices in the proposed applications provides user flexibility as well as privacy protection, and differentiates our solutions from current industrial implementations. The proposed protocols are analysed using automated formal analysis tools, i.e. CasperFDR and Scyther, and implemented to prove feasibility and determine performance.

Security and privacy aspects of automotive systems

The auto-mobile industry has grown to become an integral part of our day – to – day life. The introduction of wireless vehicles definitely have to pass through the analysis of potential security threats and vulnerabilities, and robust security architecture should be designed that are able to cope with these threats and vulnerabilities. In this work, we have identified various categories of research in 'Cyber Security of a wireless vehicle' and mainly focused on 'In – Vehicle Network' to identify various potential security threats and vulnerabilities as well as the suitable security solutions. In addition to providing a survey of related academic efforts, we have also outlined several key issues and open research questions.

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Alarming! Security Aspects of the Wireless Vehicle: Review

Social Media Site (SMS) usage has grown rapidly in the last few years. This sudden increase in SMS usage creates an opportunity for data leakage which could compromise personal and/or professional life. In this work, we have reviewed traditional penetration testing process and discussed the failures of traditional penetration testing process to test the 'People' layer of Simple Enterprise Security Architecture (SESA) model. In order to overcome these failures, we have developed the conceptual idea of online SMS user account penetration testing system that could be applied to online SMS user account and the user account could be categorised based on the rating points. This could help us to avoid leaking information that is sensitive and/or damage their reputation. Finally, we have also listed the best practice guidelines of online SMS usage.

/pdf/the-conceptual-idea-of-online-social-media-site-sms-user-2sj2vyhozw.pdf

The Conceptual Idea of Online Social Media Site (SMS) User Account Penetration Testing System

Social Media Site (SMS) usage has grown rapidly in the last few years. This sudden increase in SMS usage creates an opportunity for data leakage which could compromise personal and/or professional life. In this work, we have reviewed traditional penetration testing process and discussed the failures of traditional penetration testing process to test the 'People' layer of Simple Enterprise Security Architecture (SESA) model. In order to overcome these failures, wehave developed the conceptual idea of online SMS user account penetration testing system that could be applied to online SMS user account and the user account could be categorised based on the rating points. This could help us to avoid leaking information that is sensitive and/or damage their reputation. Finally, we have also listed the best practice guidelines of online SMS usage.

Harjinder Singh Lallie

Papers

Alarming! Security Aspects of the Wireless Vehicle: Review

The Conceptual Idea of Online Social Media Site (SMS) User Account Penetration Testing System

The Conceptual Idea of Online Social Media Site (SMS) User Account Penetration Testing System