Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Vehicular Hardware Security Module

Todays in-vehicle IT architectures are dominated by a large network of interactive, software driven digital microprocessors called electronic control units (ECU). However, ECUs relying on information received from open communication channels created by other ECUs or even other vehicles that are not under its control leaves the doors wide open for manipulations or misuse. Thus, especially safety-relevant ECUs need effective, automotive-capable security measures that protect the ECU and its communications efficiently and dependably. Based on a requirements engineering approach that incorporates all security-relevant automotive use cases and all distinctive automotive needs and constraints, we present an vehicular hardware security module (HSM) that enables a holistic protection of in-vehicle ECUs and their communications. We describe the hardware design, give technical details on the prototypical implementation, and provide a first evaluation on the performance and security while comparing our approach with HSMs already existing.