Automotive
Preventing electric vehicle cyberattacks starts with secure software development
By Jill Britton, director of compliance, Perforce Software A
s electric vehicles depend on software, it is paramount that the security of that software is ensured. If a software security vulnerability is exploited,
it could lead to a hacker taking control of steering, disabling brakes, bypassing control systems, or accessing personal information on other connected devices through the vehicle’s operating system.
Since most security vulnerabilities are introduced during the software development process, making sure that electric vehicle software is safeguarded against security threats and vulnerabilities must be a top priority during the whole development life cycle. In fact, according to Perforce’s 2021 State of Automotive Software Development Survey, which collected responses from more than 600 automotive professionals worldwide, 22 per cent of respondents cited security as their top concern, with unauthorised access to onboard and offboard systems being identified as the highest security risk.
Software has become increasingly complex, and while programming languages such as C++ are a springboard for innovation, they also bring additional complexities. As a result, even the most skilled software developer can inadvertently introduce errors that result in vulnerabilities, which in time can be exploited.
Types of electric vehicle software There are several aspects of automotive software that need to be considered with regard to security, such as mobile apps. Connected cars typically use mobile apps to control functions through their infotainment systems, for example GPS navigation, Bluetooth phone operation, and phone contacts lists. These are all potential ingress points for a hacker.
Electric vehicle charging security is another area of concern. While sometimes charging is just a matter of plugging a car into a charging station, often an app is required to communicate with the electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). EVSE components are susceptible to
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security breaches, such as the mobile app itself, firmware updates to the EVSE, and the physical access points of the EVSE.
Not only personal vehicles are at risk. In the world of commercial vehicles, connected fleets are at risk of targeted software security attacks from command-and-control (C&C) servers, which can sabotage entire fleets. A C&C server is a computer controlled by an attacker to send instructions to systems that have been compromised by malware and to receive stolen data via target network. Once one vehicle has been compromised, control of the fleet can be quickly gained.
Automotive software security preventative measures
Fortunately, much can be done to mitigate some of the security risks during software development, including compliance with relevant standards. Although there are no standards specific to electric vehicles, the same standards mandated for vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE) still apply. This includes ISO 26262, which is a risk- based safety standard that applies to electric and/or electronic systems in vehicles, including driver assistance, propulsion, and vehicle
dynamics control systems. However, as ISO 26262 is primarily a functional safety standard, it is also necessary to follow ISO 21434. Published in 2021, ISO 21434 is an automotive standard that focuses on the cybersecurity risks in vehicle electronic systems, covering all stages of a vehicle’s lifecycle including secure software development processes. Both ISO 26262 and ISO 21434 recommend the use of coding standards, such as MISRA C:2012 or CERT C. These coding standards aim to address the insecure coding practices and undefined behaviours that can lead to security risks. CERT and MISRA include defensive implementation techniques to enable electric vehicle software to function, even in unforeseen circumstances, which involves preventing accidental syntax bugs and using sanitisation techniques to avoid malicious data.
Inspecting automotive software for flaws
While coding standards provide developers with a blueprint for better safety and security, ensuring these standards are enforced requires effort. Therefore, they are usually implemented using a static application security testing (SAST) tool — such as a static code
analyser — which inspects and analyses application source code, byte code, and binaries to unearth security vulnerabilities. SAST tools scan an application’s code in a non-running state (i.e., before it has been compiled) to detect flaws early in the development process. This alleviates additional workload on developers while giving them the confidence that they are creating more secure code.
However, SAST tools are just one element of an electric vehicle security testing toolbox; others include dynamic analysis security testing (DAST), fuzzing, database security scanning, mobile application security testing, software composition analysis, and network vulnerability scanning.
The automotive industry’s dependency on software for development, design, and infrastructure will only continue to increase. While securing software development is just one aspect of ensuring safe and protected vehicles, it is crucial. The good news is that with some effort, time, and the right tools, helping to make that process more robust against flaws is achievable.
www.perforce.com Components in Electronics May 2022 13
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