STMicroelectronics announced its collaboration with ETAS and ESCRYPT to deliver a complete platform comprising microcontrollers, software tools, and security solutions that accelerates development of new automotive control units for the connected-car age.
Today’s auto designers rely more and more on electronic control units (ECUs) to manage intricately featured applications, including brake-by-wire, automatic transmission, multi-mode lighting, parking assist, collision avoidance and many others. These ECUs are enabling “digital” control of each function of the car through sending commands over the communication network that interconnects the vehicle sub-systems. Moreover, more cars are becoming connected to the cloud enabling new functionalities like Over-The-Air (OTA) software updates, remote diagnostics, and the forthcoming V2X communication.
To safely support such trends, there is an acceleration in the deployment of robust hardware and software security platforms that are managed over the entire vehicle lifetime.
ST is working with ETAS and ESCRYPT to deliver a cost-effective platform for sub-system developers to create ECUs that ensure a high level of protection for vehicle-owners’ privacy, OEMs’ intellectual property, ECU functional integrity, and secure communication among the car’s ECUs and the cloud.
The solution ST is developing with ETAS and ESCRYPT leverages the SPC58 series of power-efficient and real-time-capable automotive microcontrollers, which feature a built-in Hardware Security Module (HSM) as well as multiple state-of-the-art CAN FD interfaces, plus LIN, FlexRay, and Ethernet with time-stamping to implement both control units with a functional integrity check and an in-vehicle network with encrypted communication. This approach expands ST’s offering for connected-car defense, which also includes Secure Elements, or embedded SIMs (Subscriber Identity Modules), for protection against Internet-based attacks on ECUs and gateways that can steal personal data or compromise important vehicle systems.
ESCRYPT is contributing its expertise in secure ECU communication, including distribution of OTA software updates, and provides firmware and middleware for ECU developers to utilize the SPC58 HSM. Together, the HSM and ESCRYPT’s security technologies handle all the necessary authentication of trusted sources and prevention of access by unauthorized agents.
The solution leverages ETAS’ proven RTA software products that support ECU code development. RTA-BSW (Basic Software) consists of a full AUTOSAR solution including AUTOSAR R4-compliant basic software capable of supporting safety-critical ECUs for both passenger cars (ISO 26262) and off-highway (ISO 25119) domains. RTA-BSW is complemented by ISOLAR-A and ISOLAR-EVE tools for authoring and testing a full ECU software stack in a virtual environment.
AUTOSAR, the AUTomotive Open Systems Architecture, is the accepted automotive industry framework for scalable, interoperable, standards-compliant embedded systems, which enables developers to bring new products to market quickly and cost-effectively while allowing scope to create differentiating features.
