CryptoAutomotive™ Security ICs from Microchip

The Need for Automotive Security is Real

More and more consumer conveniences like Bluetooth^®, 3G, 4G, LTE, etc. are being added to vehicles each year much to the delight of consumers… as well as the hackers. There is no shortage of real-world vehicle hacking stories and videos available on the web and virtually all OEMs in all regions have been negatively impacted by these attacks. The attack surface will certainly continue to grow so the pressure is mounting for OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to quickly secure in-vehicle networks with long-term solutions.

A New Day in Automotive Cybersecurity

New OEM cybersecurity specs have begun to roll out requiring improved security including hardware-based secure boot and CAN message authentication. Implementing these new specs can be burdensome for Tier 1 suppliers to implement with the first investigation typically involving switching out their existing host microcontroller (MCU) to a higher horsepower dual-core 32-bit MCU with crypto. This can introduce significant additional silicon cost, software development expense and introduces risk associated with getting the new security software in the MCU implemented correctly. Microchip has introduced a solution that enables OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to add security to existing systems without costly redesigns. 

Industry’s First Automotive Security Development Kit

This CryptoAutomotive™ Security ICs In-Vehicle Network (IVN) TrustAnchor/Border Security Device (TA/BSD) development kit provides a way for developers to begin architecting their security into existing systems. The emulated secure companion solution initially targets secure boot and CAN message authentication use cases, and upcoming kit software releases for key agreement, TLS, content protection schemes and more will be available in the future. The kit can be conveniently paired with Microchip automotive host microcontroller development kits which include example projects for secure boot.

CryptoAutomotive Secure Element Advantages:

• Significant cost and time-saving advantages compared to redesigning with a new MCU
• Minimal MCU code updates resulting in little to no impact to existing host MCU functional safety ratings
• Preprogrammed with built-in security measures removing the requirement for in-house security expertise
• Eliminates risk associated with significant MCU code updates
• More whole-chip tampers with a higher level of certifiability
• True hardware key isolation

More Information here.