Toshiba has revealed a security module for automotive microcontrollers meeting industry anti-hacking, anti-tamper and software theft standards.
Developed at the company’s automotive development centre in Düsseldorf, the Toshiba Security Module will be built into future generations of the company’s ARM Cortex-based automotive microcontrollers.
“The module’s firmware is, as a first release step, compliant with the Secure Hardware Extension (SHE) version 1.1 specification of the Herstellerinitiative Software (HIS), a technical collaboration between five leading German car makers,” said Toshiba.
Implemented in hardware with its own “sub-CPU”, said the firm, the module has a symmetric AES-128 cryptographic engine along with “other security elements”.
“Our TSM will help the automotive industry prevent intellectual property theft or manipulation, which is a significant threat as an increasing proportion of innovations in new car models are now software based,” said Klaus Neuenhueskes of Toshiba Electronics Europe. “The security afforded by our SHE-compliant TSM will protect car owners against abuses such as tampering with odometer settings, or sub-standard servicing by unqualified agents.”
Software libraries will be released to support TSM-equipped microcontrollers, and updates to the module will track upcoming standards, said the firm, the EVITA Medium requirements, for example.
Toshiba adds IP protection to automotive MCUs – 11/23/2012 – Electronics Weekly.