Vehicle Network Boot Integrity Failure Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
In vehicle networks, boot integrity failures cannot be effectively communicated to central units due to potential corruption by malicious code, allowing attackers to send malicious data via primary communication channels.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle network with a central communication unit, electronic control units, and local integrity supervisors that utilize a secondary communication channel for secure communication of boot integrity failures and countermeasures, ensuring isolation and authenticity to prevent malicious activities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the primary communication channel is used to report boot integrity failures, then communication efficiency is improved, but security deteriorates because corrupted ECUs can send malicious data
Solution Approach 1:
The communication system is segmented into two separate channels: the primary communication channel for normal operations and the secondary communication channel specifically for reporting boot integrity failures. This segmentation allows each channel to have optimized characteristics - the primary channel maintains high efficiency while the secondary channel provides enhanced security for failure reporting, resolving the contradiction between communication efficiency and data authenticity.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary communication channel acts as an intermediary mechanism for reporting boot integrity failures. Instead of using the primary channel that may be compromised, the system introduces this intermediate channel that is specifically designed for secure failure reporting, thereby protecting against malicious data transmission while maintaining efficient normal operations.
2Reliability
If a secondary communication channel is introduced for secure failure reporting, then security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary communication channel is not activated or used universally, but only locally when boot integrity failures occur. This local quality approach means the secure channel remains dormant during normal operations and is activated only when needed for failure reporting, thereby providing enhanced security where required while minimizing the impact on overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary communication channel is pre-configured and ready for use, but remains inactive until a boot integrity failure is detected. This preliminary preparation allows the system to have the security capability in place without requiring active management or complex coordination during normal operations, reducing the perceived complexity while maintaining security readiness.
3Reliability
If the affected ECU is isolated from the vehicle network, then security is improved by preventing malicious data transmission, but loss of information increases as failure details cannot be communicated
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary communication channel serves as a specialized intermediary that enables the isolated ECU to communicate failure information securely. By providing this dedicated communication path, the system allows the ECU to be isolated from the main network for security purposes while still maintaining the ability to transmit critical failure diagnostic information through the alternative channel.
Solution Approach 2:
The failure reporting function is extracted from the primary communication channel and placed into the secondary channel. This extraction allows the ECU to be isolated from the main network while still enabling failure information to be communicated through the separate, secure channel, thereby preventing malicious data transmission while preserving necessary diagnostic information flow.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle network for managing a boot integrity failure, comprising: - a central communication unit, - a plurality of domains comprising one or a plurality of electronic control units, each electronic control unit being configured to execute a secure boot process, - said central communication unit being configured to communicate with each electronic control unit via a primary communication channel, Wherein said vehicle network further comprises: - a vehicle integrity supervisor, - a local integrity supervisor within some electronic control units, - a secondary communication channel between each local integrity supervisor and the vehicle integrity supervisor, - said local integrity supervisors being further configured to send a failure log to the vehicle integrity supervisor via the secondary communication channel when there is a boot integrity failure, - said vehicle integrity supervisor being further configured to send back to said local integrity supervisors via said secondary communication channel an acknowledgment and/or an appropriate countermeasure command regarding said failure log, - said local integrity supervisor being further configured to enforce said appropriate countermeasure command.