Research project: New test methods for vehicle safety

In the MASSiF project, INSicherheit is developing new test methods for vehicle safety based on attacker and attack modeling as the basis for a test model.  As part of the project, the companies SQMi, sepp.med and Continental will work closely together over the next few years.

Project description from the promoter's website:

Motivation

Road safety can be improved with new systems that perceive the vehicle environment and detect and respond to dangerous situations. Autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles master dangerous situations independently. An important prerequisite for this is the communication of the vehicle with its surroundings – i.e. with other vehicles and the transport infrastructure. While vehicles can alert each other to hazards, the infrastructure provides information about traffic light phases, traffic jams or speed restrictions. However, this communication takes place not only externally, but also within a vehicle. Countless ECUs, sensors and actuators interact with each other via different bus systems and exchange a wide range of information. However, this presents new challenges. manipulations and attacks on internal or external communication or on the communication participants can bring traffic to a standstill and, at worst, endanger people.

OBJECTIVES AND PROCEDURES

The aim of the MASSiF project (model-based security and safety protection for environment-based vehicle functions) is therefore the development of new test methods that include both functional safety (safety) and information security (security) and interplay. New vehicle parts, vehicle functions or entire vehicles are covered by numerous requirements of both safety categories. These requirements are often in complex relationships with each other. The project aims to further develop model-based testing. Here we need to develop new models and harmonise them with existing ones. Approaches and models exist to safeguard functional properties of the vehicle, but new representations of attackers and their attacks are new. This is the first time that these have to be recorded in special models.

INNOVATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES

What is new is that security and safety aspects are considered consistently, completely and comprehensibly throughout the entire development and test process. However, this should not make the processes in vehicle development more complex and complex. Rather, the enhanced model-driven development approach is intended to reduce costs.

The feasibility of the developed methods and models is tested on a new vehicle component. Future driver assistance systems, control units, braking systems or airbags will benefit from this. The SMEs involved also benefit: they are expanding their portfolio in the area of quality and test management of complex software systems and thus improving their position on the market.

Posted in Allgemein.