Secure start system for an autonomous vehicle

• US 10,140,468 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2018
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurora Operations Incorporated (Aurora Innovation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Valasek, Christopher, Miller, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Holder, Bradley
• Application Number:
  US15/874,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20180157862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 313 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0844 with user authentication or key authentication, e.g. ElGamal, MTI, MQV-Menezes-Qu-Vanstone protocol or Diffie-Hellman protocols using implicitly-certified keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications

Abstract

A secure start system for an autonomous vehicle (AV) can transmit credentials to an authentication system based on detecting startup of the autonomous vehicle. When the credentials are authenticated the system can receive a tunnel key from the authentication system, and establish, using the tunnel key, a private communications session with a backend vault of the authentication system. The system may then retrieve a verification key and an autonomous key from the backend vault, and verify, using the verification key, that the file system was cryptographically signed by the authentication system, and decrypt the file system using the autonomous key to enable the autonomous mode.

Claims

1. A secure start system for an autonomous vehicle, the secure start system comprising:

a communications router;

a compute stack storing a cryptographically signed and encrypted file system, and comprising a plurality of drives to execute the file system to enable an autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle; and

wherein the compute stack comprises a master node including one or more memory resources that execute secure start instructions, causing the secure start system to;

based on detecting startup of the autonomous vehicle, transmit credentials to a backend authentication system via the communications router;

receive, when the credentials are authenticated, a tunnel key from the backend authentication system;

establish, using the tunnel key, a private communications session with a backend vault of the backend authentication system;

retrieve a verification key and an autonomous key from the backend vault;

verify, using the verification key, that the file system was cryptographically signed by the backend authentication system; and

decrypt the file system using the autonomous key to enable the autonomous mode.

2. The secure start system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions further cause the secure start system to:

retrieve, in response to detecting startup of the autonomous vehicle, a basic key from write protected memory of the secure start system; and

unlock, using the basic key, a basic mode of an autonomous vehicle operating system (AVOS), the basic mode enabling network communications with the backend authentication system.

3. The secure start system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions further cause the secure start system to:

receive the credentials from a user of the autonomous vehicle.

4. The secure start system of claim 3, wherein the credentials are received via one of a mobile computing device executing a designated application for operating the autonomous vehicle or an input interface of the autonomous vehicle.

5. The secure start system of claim 1, wherein the tunnel key comprises an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) tunnel key, and wherein the private communications session comprises an IPsec tunnel to the backend vault to retrieve the verification key and the autonomous key.

6. The secure start system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions cause the secure start system to transmit the credentials to a demilitarized zone of the backend authentication system to receive the tunnel key.

7. The secure start system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions further cause the secure start system to:

transmit the credentials to a communications gate of the backend vault; and

receive, when the credentials are authenticated by the communications gate, a time-limited token to access the backend vault;

wherein the executed instructions cause the secure start system to retrieve the verification key and the autonomous key from the backend vault using the time-limited token.

8. An autonomous vehicle comprising:

a sensor system to dynamically generate sensor data indicating a situational environment of the autonomous vehicle;

an acceleration, braking, and steering system;

a compute stack storing a cryptographically signed and encrypted file system, and comprising a plurality of drives to execute the file system to operate the acceleration, braking, and steering system in an autonomous mode; and

a secure start system connected to the compute stack, the secure start system comprising;

a communications router;

one or more processors; and

one or more memory resources storing secure start instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the secure start system to;

based on detecting startup of the autonomous vehicle, transmit credentials to a backend authentication system via the communications router;

receive, when the credentials are authenticated, a tunnel key from the backend authentication system;

establish, using the tunnel key, a private communications session with a backend vault of the backend authentication system;

retrieve a verification key and an autonomous key from the backend vault;

verify, using the verification key, that the file system was cryptographically signed by the backend authentication system; and

decrypt the file system using the autonomous key to enable the autonomous mode.

9. The autonomous vehicle of claim 8, wherein the executed instructions further cause the secure start system to:

retrieve, in response to detecting startup of the autonomous vehicle, a basic key from write protected memory of the secure start system; and

unlock, using the basic key, a basic mode of an autonomous vehicle operating system (AVOS), the basic mode enabling network communications with the backend authentication system.

10. The autonomous vehicle of claim 8, wherein the executed instructions further cause the secure start system to:

receive the credentials from a user of the autonomous vehicle.

11. The autonomous vehicle of claim 10, wherein the credentials are received via one of a mobile computing device executing a designated application for operating the autonomous vehicle or an input interface of the autonomous vehicle.

12. The autonomous vehicle of claim 8, wherein the tunnel key comprises an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) tunnel key, and wherein the private communications session comprises an IPsec tunnel to the backend vault to retrieve the verification key and the autonomous key.

13. The autonomous vehicle of claim 8, wherein the executed instructions cause the secure start system to transmit the credentials to a demilitarized zone of the backend authentication system to receive the tunnel key.

14. The autonomous vehicle of claim 8, wherein the executed instructions further cause the secure start system to:

transmit the credentials to a communications gate of the backend vault; and

receive, when the credentials are authenticated by the communications gate, a time-limited token to access the backend vault;

wherein the executed instructions cause the secure start system to retrieve the verification key and the autonomous key from the backend vault using the time-limited token.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors of a secure start system of an autonomous vehicle (AV), cause the secure start system to:

based on detecting startup of the autonomous vehicle, transmit credentials to a backend authentication system using a communications router;

receive, when the credentials are authenticated, a tunnel key from the backend authentication system;

establish, using the tunnel key, a private communications session with a backend vault of the backend authentication system;

retrieve a verification key and an autonomous key from the backend vault;

verify, using the verification key, that an encrypted file system of the AV was cryptographically signed by the backend authentication system; and

decrypt the file system using the autonomous key to enable an autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the executed instructions further cause the secure start system to:

retrieve, in response to detecting startup of the autonomous vehicle, a basic key from write protected memory of the secure start system; and

unlock, using the basic key, a basic mode of an autonomous vehicle operating system (AVOS), the basic mode enabling network communications with the backend authentication system.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the executed instructions further cause the secure start system to:

receive the credentials from a user of the autonomous vehicle.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the credentials are received via one of a mobile computing device executing a designated application for operating the autonomous vehicle or an input interface of the autonomous vehicle.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the tunnel key comprises an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) tunnel key, and wherein the private communications session comprises an IPsec tunnel to the backend vault to retrieve the verification key and the autonomous key.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the executed instructions further cause the secure start system to:

transmit the credentials to a communications gate of the backend vault; and

receive, when the credentials are authenticated by the communications gate, a time-limited token to access the backend vault;

wherein the executed instructions cause the secure start system to retrieve the verification key and the autonomous key from the backend vault using the time-limited token.