System and method for preventing an attack on a networked vehicle

• US 9,843,926 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2011
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Dietz, Roland, Falk, Rainer, Hof, Hans-Joachim, Stadler, Franz
• Primary Examiner(s): Lwin, Maung
• Application Number:
  US13/580,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20130104186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,490 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A system for preventing an attack on a networked vehicle via a wireless communication device including a wireless data traffic network, a security status determination unit for controlling access to the wireless network depending on a security status based on evaluation of a configuration and/or on log data of the vehicle and/or on time that has passed since a software update, and a communication device and an access control device. A method for preventing an attack on a networked vehicle via a wireless communication device, where a security status is determined based on an evaluation of a current configuration of the vehicle and/or on log data of the vehicle and/or on time that has passed since an update of relevant software a network access rule set is determined and actuated for the access to the data traffic network based on the determined security status.

Claims

1. A system configured to prevent an attack on a networked vehicle via a wireless communication device of the networked vehicle, comprising:

a wireless data traffic network;

a security status determination unit having a processor and configured to control access to the wireless data traffic network based at least in part on a determined security status,

wherein the determined security status is based at least in part on;

a security self-evaluation of a current configuration of the networked vehicle and,

log data of the vehicle comprising at least a vehicle key used, and

an elapsed time from a relevant software update,

wherein the vehicle key is used to physically access the vehicle;

a hardware transceiver configured to connect to the wireless data traffic network; and

an access controller configured to control the access to the wireless data traffic network and connectable to the security status determination unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the security status determination unit is arranged in the networked vehicle and an evaluation of the security status can be performed autonomously.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the evaluation of the security status comprises:

detecting that a vehicle component of the networked vehicle has detected at least one of an attack and a malfunction of the wireless network access.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the security status determination unit is arranged in the wireless data traffic network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the access controller is arranged in the networked vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the access controller is arranged in the wireless data traffic network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless network access to the wireless data traffic network is controlled by wireless network access policies, wherein the wireless network access policies for network access to the wireless data traffic network can be selected based at least in part on one or more of a type of connection, a type of filter criteria, and a type of content.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control of the wireless network access further comprises specifying whether the wireless network access has to take place in at least one of an encrypted and tunneled manner.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the basis for the security self-evaluation is one or more of:

a vehicle identification,

information about the vehicle comprising one or more of a manufacturer, construction series, chassis number, and vehicle identification number,

software status of a the vehicle,

whether current software updates have been installed, and

whether critical security updates have been installed.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the basis for the security self-evaluation further comprises a vehicle authentication.

11. A method for preventing an attack on a networked vehicle via a wireless communication device of the networked vehicle in a system having a wireless data traffic network, a security status determination unit, a communication device configured to connect to the wireless data traffic network, and an access control device, the method comprising:

determining a security status,

wherein the security status is based at least in part on;

a security self-evaluation of a current configuration of the vehicle and,

log data of the vehicle comprising at least a vehicle key used, and

an elapsed time from a relevant software update,

wherein the vehicle key is used to physically access the vehicle;

determining a network access policy for access to the wireless data traffic network based on the determined security status; and

activating the determined network access policy.

12. The method of claim 11, furthermore comprising:

activating an initial network access policy;

transmitting to an evaluation server to determine the security status one or more of

the current configuration of the vehicle,

the log data of the vehicle, and

the elapsed time from a relevant software update; and

transmitting the determined security status.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining a security status both locally and remotely.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the basis for the security self-evaluation is one or more of:

a vehicle identification,

information about the vehicle comprising one or more of a manufacturer, construction series, chassis number, and vehicle identification number,

software status of a the vehicle,

whether current software updates have been installed, and

whether critical security updates have been installed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the basis for the security self-evaluation further comprises a vehicle authentication.