Authentication of control units in a vehicle

• US 20070118752A1
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Kuhls, Burkhard, Kiessling, Horst
• Application Number:
  US11/588,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20070118752A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

A control unit transmits an authentication request to an authentication device via the bus system. The authentication device signs the authentication request using a first symmetric key and transmits the signed authentication request or only the signature to the control unit. The control unit compares the transmitted signature of the authentication request with a signature, which is determined by the control unit by applying the symmetric key to the authentication request, and/or the control unit decodes the transmitted signature of the authentication request using the first symmetric key to obtain a first hash value; and the control unit applies a hash algorithm to the authentication request to obtain a second hash value. The control unit is rendered operational if the comparison of the signatures and/or the hash values is positive or if the signatures and/or the hash values match.

Claims

1. A method for authenticating control units in a bus system of a motor vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

transmitting, by a first control unit, an authentication request to an authentication device via the bus system,

signing, by the authentication device, the authentication request using a first symmetric key and transmitting the signed authentication request or only the signature to the first control unit,

wherein

the first control unit compares the transmitted signature of the authentication request with a signature, which is determined by the first control unit by applying the symmetric key to the authentication request, or

the first control unit decodes the transmitted signature of the authentication request using the first symmetric key, and a first hash value is obtained; and

the first control unit applies a hash algorithm to the authentication request, whereby a second hash value is obtained, and

wherein the first control unit is rendered operational if the comparison of the signatures and/or the hash values is positive or if the signatures and/or the hash values match.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the other control units of the bus system carry out or carries out the method for authentication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the motor vehicle may be started up only after all control units of the bus system have executed the method for authentication with positive results from the comparison.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the execution of the authentication method is carried out prior to starting the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein all control units use the same symmetric key in carrying out the authentication method.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the symmetric key varies from vehicle to vehicle, and in carrying out the authentication method a control unit of a first vehicle accesses a first symmetric key and the same control unit of a second vehicle accesses a second symmetric key.

7. A method for authenticating control units in a bus system of a motor vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

transmitting, by an authentication device, an authentication request to a first control unit via the bus system,

signing, by the first control unit, the authentication request using a first symmetric key and transmitting the signed authentication request or only the signature to the authentication device,

wherein

the authentication device compares the transmitted signature of the authentication request with a signature, which is determined by the authentication device by applying the symmetric key to the authentication request, or

the authentication device decodes the transmitted signature of the authentication request using the first symmetric key, and a first hash value is obtained; and

the authentication device applies a hash algorithm to the authentication request, whereby a second hash value is obtained, and

wherein the first control unit is rendered operational if the comparison of the signatures and/or the hash values is positive or if the signatures and/or the hash values match.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the authentication device carries out another authentication test by carrying out an asymmetric encoding method with a vehicle-external device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the acts of:

transmitting, by the authentication device, an authentication request to the vehicle-external device;

signing, by the vehicle-external device, the authentication request with a secret key of an asymmetric pair of keys, and transmitting the signed authentication request or exclusively the signature to the authentication device; and

determining, by the authentication device, a signature of the authentication request using the same algorithm as the vehicle-external device, decoding the signature transmitted by the vehicle-external device, using the public key, which is complementary to the secret key, and comparing the determined signature with the transmitted signature.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein if the comparison is positive, the vehicle-external device obtains write and/or read access to a store of the first control unit by way of the authentication device.

11. A bus system of a motor vehicle, the bus system comprising:

control units; and

an authentication device, wherein

a first control unit of the control units transmits an authentication request to the authentication device via the bus system,

the authentication device signs the authentication request using a first symmetric key and transmitting the signed authentication request or only the signature to the first control unit,

wherein

the first control unit compares the transmitted signature of the authentication request with a signature, which is determined by the first control unit by applying the symmetric key to the authentication request, or

the first control unit decodes the transmitted signature of the authentication request using the first symmetric key, and a first hash value is obtained; and

the first control unit applies a hash algorithm to the authentication request, whereby a second hash value is obtained, and

wherein the first control unit is rendered operational if the comparison of the signatures and/or the hash values is positive or if the signatures and/or the hash values match.

12. A bus system of a motor vehicle, the bus system comprising:

control units; and

an authentication device,

wherein the authentication device and a first one of the control units includes computer program products for performing the acts of

transmitting, by a first control unit, an authentication request to an authentication device via the bus system,

signing, by the authentication device, the authentication request using a first symmetric key and transmitting the signed authentication request or only the signature to the first control unit,

wherein

the first control unit compares the transmitted signature of the authentication request with a signature, which is determined by the first control unit by applying the symmetric key to the authentication request, or

the first control unit decodes the transmitted signature of the authentication request using the first symmetric key, and a first hash value is obtained; and

the first control unit applies a hash algorithm to the authentication request, whereby a second hash value is obtained, and

wherein the first control unit is rendered operational if the comparison of the signatures and/or the hash values is positive or if the signatures and/or the hash values match.