Vehicle Gear UI Isolation Using an Embedded Controller
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern vehicles face security risks due to the accessibility of their processors from the outside world, allowing malicious actors to potentially tamper with critical systems like propulsion and infotainment, which can compromise the vehicle's operation.
Innovation Solution
An embedded controller is used to receive user input and isolate it from external influences, ensuring that only authorized changes can be made to the vehicle's propulsion direction, while a separate infotainment system handles non-critical functions, preventing unauthorized control over the vehicle's systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the display processor is made accessible from the outside world to enable wireless network connectivity and infotainment functionality, then the ease of operation and adaptability improve, but the security risk increases allowing malicious actors to tamper with vehicle operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two separate processor components: an infotainment system processor that handles wireless network connectivity and user interface rendering, and an embedded controller that securely manages vehicle operation controls. This segmentation allows the vehicle to maintain external connectivity while isolating critical control functions from external access risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The embedded controller acts as an intermediary between the infotainment system and the vehicle's propulsion system. It receives gear shift requests from the user interface, validates them, and routes approved requests to the propulsion system. This intermediary role ensures that even if the infotainment system is compromised, malicious commands cannot directly reach the propulsion system without embedded controller validation.
2Device complexity
If a single processor handles both infotainment and vehicle control functions, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability and security of critical vehicle functions deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The processor system is segmented into two distinct functional units: the infotainment system processor dedicated to entertainment and information functions, and the embedded controller processor dedicated to vehicle operation control. This segmentation increases reliability by ensuring that compromises in the infotainment system cannot affect critical vehicle controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The embedded controller extracts and isolates the critical vehicle control functions from the infotainment system. By taking out the propulsion control functionality from the general-purpose infotainment processor and placing it in a dedicated embedded controller, the system ensures that vehicle control security is maintained independently of infotainment system vulnerabilities.
3Ease of operation
If the user interface is fully integrated with the infotainment system, then the ease of operation improves, but the security against malicious attacks on critical systems worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The embedded controller serves as a security intermediary that sits between the user interface and the propulsion system. It receives all gear shift requests from the user interface, validates their authenticity and appropriateness, and only routes legitimate requests to the propulsion system. This maintains ease of operation while blocking malicious attacks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts the critical validation and routing functionality from the infotainment system and places it in the embedded controller. This extraction ensures that even though the user interface remains fully integrated and accessible, the critical path to vehicle control is protected by a separate security layer that cannot be compromised through the infotainment system.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for intrusion protected user interface and functionality for vehicles using embedded controller. An example system includes an embedded controller, the embedded controller configured to receive touch input information from the display, the touch input information reflecting interactions with the display by a person in the vehicle; and an infotainment system, the infotainment system being in communication with the embedded controller and configured to receive the touch input information from the embedded controller, wherein the infotainment system is configured to render a dynamic user interface for presentation via the display, wherein the embedded controller is configured to cause presentation of a static image reflecting a currently selected gear of the vehicle, and wherein the embedded controller provides information associated with the static image to a timing controller of the display.