Cryptographic IC Is Bringing Pre-Programmed Security For The Automotive Sector

The increasing in-vehicle network connections such as Bluetooth and LTE/5G in today’s vehicles have made them more prone to vulnerabilities than ever before, driving new cybersecurity regulations and specifications for the automotive market.

To comply with new security specifications, automotive designers have to re-architect the vehicle’s electronic control units (ECUs) with secure hardware. The already existing solutions include single-chip dual-core hardware security module (HSM) devices, which require OEMs and their module suppliers to re-architect their application software to integrate security. Besides this, the risk of security holes introduced in disparate implementations poses significant barriers. Third-party security software can help overcome this barrier in part but with increasing development costs.

So to help OEMs and their module suppliers simplify the upgrade of existing designs that meet future security requirements, the TrustAnchor100 (TA100), a CryptoAutomotive security IC has been launched that supports in-vehicle network security solutions such as secure boot, firmware update and message authentication, including Controller Area Network (CAN) MAC at bus speed.

The TA100 provides an alternative in-vehicle network architecture implementation for secure boot and message authentication. It has already been approved by multiple OEMs around the world as a solution for EVITA Medium and EVITA Full HSM requirements. Designed with a feature set based on a careful review of several prominent OEM cybersecurity specifications, it helps facilitate a Tier 1’s pursuit of OEM Part Production Approval (PPAP).

Additionally, the TA100 removes the challenges associated with secure code development and provisioning by offering pre-programmed cryptographic internal application code provisioned with unique asymmetric key-pairs and associated x.509 certificates — reducing risk, cost and time to market.

Strong Security Validation

The device has a high resistance to attack through intensive third-party vulnerability assessments. It is AEC-Q100 Automotive Grade-1 qualified, FIPS 140-2 CMVP Security Level 2 rated and Physical Key Protection Level 3 certified. It has achieved a high possible vulnerability assessment rating of Joint Interpretation Library (JIL) High.

The TA100 provides software components like AUTOSAR drivers, MCALs and CryptoAuthentication library that allow a seamless integration into the industry-standard operating system, AUTOSAR or customised software stacks for crypto functions.

“The TrustAnchor100 provides relief for automotive Tier 1s and OEMs when upgrading thousands of ECUs with security,” said Nuri Dagdeviren, vice president of Microchip’s secure products group. “Combining the TA100 and an integrated software stack provides production-ready software for our customers, enabling them to easily add security to any automotive module.”

The TA100 offers AUTOSAR compliant MCAL drivers that can be integrated into an AUTOSAR software stack. A full AUTOSAR reference stack enables automotive vendors to deploy the latest crypto standards into their automotive systems within standard automotive production environments. MikroBUS compatible socket boards are also available.

The TA100 is available in an 8- and 14-pin SOIC packages from Microchip Technology.