17886127. SECURE UPDATE AND AUDIT OF ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNITS simplified abstract (Ford Global Technologies, LLC)
Contents
SECURE UPDATE AND AUDIT OF ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNITS
Organization Name
Inventor(s)
Satya Meenakshi Raparthi of Farmington Hills MI (US)
Vijayababu Jayaraman of Novi MI (US)
Jason Michael Miller of Woodhaven MI (US)
SECURE UPDATE AND AUDIT OF ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNITS - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17886127 titled 'SECURE UPDATE AND AUDIT OF ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNITS
Simplified Explanation
The abstract describes a method for updating a vehicle's Electronic Control Unit (ECU) securely.
- The ECU receives an update package from a remote source.
- The ECU verifies the timestamp in the update package is later than the timestamp of the last successful update stored onboard the vehicle.
- The ECU obtains a unique vehicle identifier from the vehicle bus.
- Secure configuration data for the ECU is obtained from the update package.
- A hash value is calculated using the unique vehicle identifier and secure configuration data.
- The update package is validated by comparing the hash values.
- If the timestamps match and the update package is valid, the ECU is modified using the secure configuration data.
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- Potential Applications
- Automotive industry for secure ECU updates.
- Fleet management systems for remote vehicle maintenance.
- Problems Solved
- Ensures secure and authenticated ECU updates.
- Prevents unauthorized modifications to the ECU.
- Benefits
- Increased security for vehicle systems.
- Remote and efficient ECU updates.
- Prevents potential cyber attacks on vehicle systems.
Original Abstract Submitted
A vehicle ECU receives an ECU update package from a remote source. The ECU verifies a first timestamp included with the ECU update package postdates a second timestamp stored onboard the vehicle in conjunction with a last-successful update of the ECU and obtains a unique vehicle identifier from the vehicle bus. The ECU obtains secure configuration data for the ECU included in a payload of the update package and calculates a first hash value using at least the unique vehicle identifier and the secure configuration data. Also, the ECU validates the update package based on comparison of the first hash value matching a second hash value included in the update package and, responsive to the first timestamp post-dating the second timestamp and validation of the update package, modifies the ECU through use of the secure configuration data.
