Kaspersky Lab and AVL team up to develop security-hardened automotive components

Cybersecurity multinational Kaspersky Lab and German automotive software, systems and electronics subsidiary AVL Software & Functions are developing secure communications units (SCUs) to protect all automotive communications from cyberthreats.

The partnership will help to develop secure-by-design automotive components that meet all the requirements and best practices of the automotive and cybersecurity industries, says Kaspersky Lab head of future technologies projects Andrey Nikishin.

The partnership with AVL Software & Functions will start with in-vehicle security and then be extended to vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications. The partnership will see security products being bundled with engineered car components and the development of comprehensive security solutions for the car manufacturing industry.

Further, a jointly developed software solution, which will guarantee interferenceproof secure communication between car components, the car and external connected infrastructure will be developed and promoted to ensure that the supporting elements of connected driving are also secured.

“The only way to secure the entire connected car ecosystem is through close collaboration between cybersecurity experts and our counterparts in the automotive industry,” he says.

A key objective is to create a reliable and flexible software platform that will allow car manufacturers to develop and implement SCUs – or automotive gateways – into cars, using hardware and additional software components that are aligned with automotive companies’ manufacturing plans.

Once developed, the proof-of-concept SCU solution will be tested using security-related verification and validation methods. This comprehensive development package will not only produce the technical deliverables needed in the industry, but will also develop new concepts for making car software secure by design, he says.

The partnership will deploy methodical, organisational and technical measures to ensure the protection of all vehicle features and together develop advanced, embedded security technologies through a collaborative and comprehensive partnership. This will also include building a training and coaching portfolio for automotive security to enable the broader ecosystem to support these systems.

“AVL is a Tier 1 supplier to the automotive industry and brings deep knowledge of the automotive manufacturing industry to the partnership. AVL Software has expertise in automotive cyberphysical devices. Kaspersky Lab has expertise in cybersecurity and we have been monitoring the increasing threat surface of connected vehicles for several years,” says Nikishin.

AVL will provide the engineering design for hardware used in the automotive sector, as well as some of the software components for SCUs, and has significant experience in this field. Kaspersky Lab provides reference designs for hardware and recommendations to adapt the internal communications network of the car to get the most benefit from the cybersecurity software.