Vehicles already offer diverse communication interfaces and some automated functions, such as distance and lane-keeping assist systems. At the same time, the automotive industry is working on completely connected and automated models whose electronics architecture will differ greatly from that of existing vehicles. They have to record much more data and process it reliably in a far shorter time. As they will be designed to directly control all driving functions, security requirements become paramount.
With its focus on self-driving cars, SecForCARs stands out clearly from previous research initiatives relating to IT security in automobiles. Connected cars have the potential to offer many advantages in autonomous driving. For example, they improve safety when they warn each other about road damage or black ice. Yet the on-board electronics also need to be protected against external attacks. To this end, the project partners aim to explore and evaluate innovative mechanisms.
SecForCARs is looking at a wide range of questions: How can connected and autonomous cars be developed so as to be more secure? How can such vehicles be tested for security gaps? How can car makers and technology partners ensure that gaps that arise later are eliminated as quickly as possible?
The project brings together experts from the fields of IT security and autonomous driving. They hail from Volkswagen AG and AUDI AG, Infineon Technologies AG and Robert Bosch GmbH, ESCRYPT GmbH, Itemis AG, Mixed Mode GmbH and SCHUTZWERK GmbH. Selected research institutes and universities ensure that the latest research results are transferred to the project. They include the University of Ulm, the Technical Universities of Braunschweig and Munich, the Free University of Berlin, the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, and the Fraunhofer Institutes AISEC and IEM. SecForCARs will run until March 2021.
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