Vehicle Bus Message Authentication via Watermarking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vehicle communication systems are vulnerable to malicious attacks where illicit devices can send fake messages over the vehicle bus, compromising the integrity of communications between ECUs and subsystems, without a way to verify the authenticity of these messages without altering message structure or increasing latency.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating watermark signals, which can be RF or analog baseband signals, combined with data signals and modulated using techniques like DSSS or phase-shift keying, to authenticate messages by extracting and verifying these watermarks, ensuring only legitimate devices can decode and authenticate the messages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If watermark signals are added to authenticate messages, then message authentication security is improved, but signal complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the watermark signal with the data signal into a single combined signal that is transmitted over the vehicle bus. The watermark signal is embedded within the same communication channel as the data signal, merging authentication functionality with data transmission without requiring separate communication channels or additional hardware infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The watermark signal serves multiple functions: it provides message authentication, identifies the transmitting ECU, and enables security verification. This multi-functional approach allows a single signal component to perform authentication, identification, and security verification tasks that would otherwise require separate mechanisms.
2Reliability
If watermark extraction and verification is performed, then message authenticity is verified, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving ECU is pre-configured with watermark information corresponding to authorized transmitting ECUs. This preliminary configuration allows the ECU to directly compare received watermarks against stored reference watermarks without requiring complex real-time generation or verification algorithms, significantly reducing processing time.
3Adaptability or versatility
If watermark signals are combined with data signals, then authentication is integrated into existing communication, but signal separation difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the combined signal into distinct components: the data signal portion and the watermark signal portion. The receiving ECU is configured to separately process these components, extracting the watermark information for authentication while simultaneously processing the data portion for normal communication operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides secure message authentication without altering message structure or increasing latency, effectively preventing spoofing attacks and ensuring the integrity of vehicle communication systems.
Implementation Method 1
The watermark signal may be modulated using direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) modulation. Extracting the watermark signal from the combined signal may include de-spreading the watermark signal using a private spreading code.
Implementation Method 2
The watermark signal may be modulated using phase modulation. The phase modulation may phase-shift keying modulation. The phase-shift keying modulation may binary phase-shift keying (BPSK).
Implementation Method 3
The watermark signal may be modulated using amplitude modulation or frequency modulation.
Implementation Method 4
The watermark signal may be modulated using amplitude modulation or frequency modulation.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic control unit comprises circuitry to receive a combined signal via a vehicle bus of a vehicle, wherein the combined signal contains a combination of a data signal and a watermark signal, which can be a radio frequency (RF) signal or an analog baseband signal, wherein the data signal includes a message, circuitry to extract a watermark from the watermark signal, circuitry to verify the watermark based on a comparison of the watermark with a pre-defined watermark, circuitry to extract the data signal from the combined signal and obtain the message from the data signal, and circuitry to authenticate the message based on the verification of the watermark.