New Cybersecurity Technology to Protect Autonomous Vehicles

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Automation in vehicles is set to improve people’s lives, by improving road capacity and simply freeing up time that would have been previously spent on driving. However, safety remains a challenging problem, and several incidents have proven just how important cybersecurity is to ensure physical safety, as vulnerabilities have previously allowed malefactors to take control of a car.

In most known cases, malefactors exploited code mistakes, unintentionally left by developers. This can happen because modern vehicles are complex systems, making it hard to manage the security of all the components. Moreover, these systems are regularly updated, and it is important to ensure that changes in one component will not affect how a vehicle operates.

Solutions and services for securing vehicles with advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) functionalities have been developed by Kaspersky, in collaboration with AVL SFR. Kaspersky has announced the first successful integration of its new automotive KasperskyOS into an electronic control unit (ECU) of an ADAS, developed by AVL SFR. The holistic security solution is located at the level of the operating system.

According to cio.co.ke, this controller is an open and customisable development platform for both prototype and series development. The secure operating system is designed to protect communications between ADAS components and to safeguard all the autonomous vehicle functions.   

KasperskyOS provides strong separation between components, so any unwanted interference is not possible by default. The interaction between all electronic components is controlled by the Kaspersky Security System, the security policy engine within KasperskyOS. It monitors the launch of processes, as well as communications between each component and with the operating system.