Vehicle ECU Access Control with a Centralized Security Subsystem
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Solution Overview
Problem
The Autosar Adaptive Platform (AAP) standard for vehicle electronic control units lacks detailed implementation guidelines for security subsystems, particularly in specifying and ensuring the completeness and consistency of security policies, leading to complexities in access control and potential security vulnerabilities.
Innovation Solution
A secure operating system with a formalized security model is implemented, where the security subsystem acts as a single point for access control decisions, intercepting requests and granting interactions only if they conform to specified security policies, using a Kaspersky Security System to monitor and enforce inter-process communications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple policy decision points (PDP) are used to control access in ECUs, then security coverage is improved, but system complexity and difficulty of policy specification increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple scattered policy decision points into a single centralized Policy Decision Point (PDP) component. This single PDP receives all access requests from applications and basic components, centralizing security policy evaluation. The consolidation maintains comprehensive security coverage while eliminating the complexity of coordinating multiple decision points, as the single PDP has complete visibility and authority over all access control decisions in the system.
2Reliability
If security policies are specified in detail for all interactions, then security completeness is improved, but the difficulty of specification and ensuring consistency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism between applications/basic components and the PDP: a standardized request interface that mediates all access requests. This intermediary layer provides a uniform method for specifying security policies, translating diverse interaction types into a common request format that the PDP can evaluate consistently. The standardized interface simplifies policy specification by providing clear, consistent rules for all access scenarios without requiring complex custom logic for each interaction type.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a formalized security model is implemented with a single PDP, then policy consistency is improved, but the initial system setup complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining a comprehensive formalized security model and single PDP architecture during system design and deployment. The security policies, decision rules, and evaluation criteria are established in advance as part of the system configuration. This preliminary setup ensures that all subsequent access control decisions are made consistently according to pre-validated rules, eliminating the need for runtime policy negotiations or ad-hoc security decisions that could introduce inconsistencies.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for access control in an electronic control unit (ECU). In one example, a method comprises, by an operating system (OS) kernel of the ECU of a vehicle, intercepting at least one request for an interaction of a control application with a basic component through an interaction interface provided by the basic component for interactions with applications, requesting from a security subsystem of the operating system, a verdict as to whether or not access for the interaction of the control application with the basic component through the interaction interface can be provided, and when the verdict is received from the security subsystem granting the access, providing the interaction between the basic component and the control application through the interaction interface in accordance with the received verdict. [Fig. 1]