Managing Trust Along the CAN Bus

Multiple approaches have been created to enhance intra-vehicle communications security over the past three decades since the introduction of the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol. The twin pair differential-mode communications bus is tremendously robust in the face of interference, yet physical access to the bus offers a variety of potential attack vectors whereby false messages and/or denial of service are achievable. This paper evaluates extensions of a Physical-layer (PHY) common-mode watermark-based authentication technique recently developed to improve authentication on the CAN bus by considering the watermark as a side-channel communications means for high value information. We also propose and analyze higher layer algorithms, with benefits and pitfalls, for employing the watermark as a physical-layer firewall. All of these results are backed by a software-defined radio (SDR) based hardware testbed that verifies backwards compatibility with commercial CAN transceivers and efficacy of the watermark-based authentication.

Language

  • English

Media Info

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01841551
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: SAE International
  • Report/Paper Numbers: 2022-01-0119
  • Files: TRIS, SAE
  • Created Date: Apr 6 2022 2:18PM