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As cars become smarter and more connected, the demand for top-tier automotive cyber security has never been higher. With expert insights from PlaxidityX, a leading automotive cyber security company, we’ll guide you through the challenges and solutions protecting millions of vehicles worldwide. Whether you’re an industry expert or just curious about how cars are secured in the digital age, this podcast comprehensively looks at how cyber defenses are developed, tested, and deployed.
We don’t just talk about the technology; we talk about what it means for you—the driver, the manufacturer, the tech enthusiast. We explore how automotive cyber security solutions are applied in real-world scenarios to safeguard everything from onboard infotainment systems to critical vehicle control units.
Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of how manufacturers are staying one step ahead of hackers and ensuring a more secure, connected world.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Welcome to cars, hackers, and cybersecurity.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Here we break down the latest in automotive cybersecurity,
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
helping you stay ahead in building secure connected vehicles.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Hi. Today we'll discuss the role of SELinux and host protection in safeguarding vehicle ECUs or electronic control units from evolving and robust cyber threats.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
ECUs,
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
or the intelligence hub of a vehicle
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
responsible for controlling media and entertainment, external communication
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
and other functions. With the emergence of software-defined vehicles, these ECUs are now interconnected, communicating with each other and external networks. While this increased connectivity enables enhanced functionality and convenience, it also expands the attack surface with respect to software vulnerabilities and other cyber threats.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
ECUs that run on Linux, and some that run on Android, come with a free, open-source layer of protection known as
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Linux
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Security-Enhanced Linux. While SELinux is an effective general-purpose tool for software developers, it doesn't check all the boxes from an automotive cybersecurity standpoint. Accordingly, many OEMs are deploying intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPs) to protect their in-vehicle networks and components and to comply with emerging automotive cybersecurity regulations and standards.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
For example, ISO 21434, UNR 155,
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
and Chinese GB/T regulations.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
In this post, we'll review why OEMs and tier-one suppliers need more than SELinux to protect connected ECUs from sophisticated cyber threats.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
SELinux in automotive: strengths and challenges.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
SELinux is a Linux kernel security module that provides a mechanism for managing and enforcing access control security policies set by the system administrator for users, programs, and services. As such, applications within any Linux-enabled environment are protected from attempts to access system resources beyond their designated boundaries. This safeguard ensures the consistent and secure behavior of applications.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
SELinux plays a pivotal role in managing and securing automotive
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
ECUs,
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
that run on Linux. It offers granular control over system processes, enhancing the security of mission-critical vehicle systems. This functionality is crucial for both OEMs and tier-one suppliers looking to protect vehicle ECUs from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Despite its strengths, the implementation of SELinux in the automotive sector encounters several industry-specific challenges.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Maximizing security without compromising functionality.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
When implementing cybersecurity, there's a constant need to balance between minimizing the attack surface,
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
For example,
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
limiting the system and allowing the capabilities needed for normal system functionality. In other words, you want to harden the system against abnormal behavior, but you also need to keep it open enough to enable routine operations. This requires the flexibility to limit capabilities for one process while allowing the same capabilities for another.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
This is difficult to achieve using
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Linux
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
The need for real-time response capabilities.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Hardening protection layers like SELinux are an excellent starting point, but they are static and not built to respond to rapidly evolving attack techniques. In contrast, an agnostic, flexible solution
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
For example,
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
combining SELinux with EDR (endpoint detection and response) or automotive IDPs can provide comprehensive, in-depth protection in a dynamic manner without requiring constant maintenance.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Logging of security events.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
This is a standard feature in SELinux. The hard part is handling the logs once they are created. This includes collecting and storing the events, filtering them, and sending them to a backend management system for analysis. This might sound simple from an IT perspective,
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
but the truth is that most OEMs cannot support this functionality today.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Moreover, these logging activities are explicitly required for compliance with
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
UNR
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
155 and GB.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Open source.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Open-source software is great for developers, but it can be a double-edged sword from a security standpoint, since the code is readily available and anyone can see how it's implemented. Persistent hackers can eventually find a way to bypass it. Since SELinux can be used for various purposes and is not required for every application, it is removable by design and could be disabled by sophisticated malware.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Maintainability.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Another drawback of open source is that you need to maintain it over time. Each time you upgrade your own application, you need to check its compatibility with SELinux
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
and vice versa. For example, you need to be aware of bug fixes and upgrades in SELinux and then adapt and update your code to support those updates. In contrast to proprietary software, open-source offers no support and no upgrades.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
If, for instance, a new requirement is added to a regulation, software vendors serving the automotive industry would address it immediately. Using open source, you would have to rely on internet forums for assistance or use your own resources to meet the requirements. One layer of security is not enough.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
By way of analogy, if you're trying to protect a famous art museum, you're
going to do more than just lock the front gate.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
You're probably also going to install cameras, motion sensors, and other devices to protect against unauthorized entry. It's too risky to rely on a single layer of security, because that leaves you with a single point of failure, which is unacceptable for art museums and for automotive systems. One of the basic tenets of cybersecurity is that a single layer of protection is not enough to address all the relevant attack vectors, exploits, and scenarios.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
SELinux in particular can be easily bypassed or disabled, as demonstrated many times by our research department. This is another important reason why Linux shouldn't be relied upon as a single layer of protection.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Meeting automotive cybersecurity requirements.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
The need for multiple layers of security is especially true for today's ECUs, which are comprised of software
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
and other components from multiple vendors. This diverse, tiered ecosystem can create integration issues and unforeseen security vulnerabilities. Accordingly, OEMs require holistic security solutions that provide a comprehensive security picture
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
rather than specific hardening on a trial-and-error basis.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
SELinux policies are primarily designed around the standard Linux usage paradigm, which does not always align with automotive-specific needs. It is often based on a trial-and-error approach and lacks features and shortcuts that are specific to automotive applications, making it difficult to define the scenarios and use cases required to secure a vehicle,
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
For example,
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
protecting kernel parameters.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Host protection and IDPs: bridging the gaps in ECU cybersecurity.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Reflecting this multi-layered approach, many OEMs have chosen to deploy host IDPs protection solutions as an additional layer of ECU security
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
on top of SELinux. Host protection is designed to address the unique needs of automotive security, complementing the existing SELinux functionality. Based on simple, easily configurable rules, host protection fills certain security gaps
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
that SELinux might not address or struggles to control,
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
such as strict execution controls.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Together, SELinux and host protection provide OEMs with a secure
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
automotive-grade system solution by offering the following additional layers of security protection.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Host IDPs
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
protection enhances ECU protection by ensuring the integrity and authenticity of all executables and special files. Each executable running in the system should be identical to the certificate signed by the OEM. If any change or modification to the file is detected, the file is blocked.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
In addition, host protection allows users to create rules that cover multiple automotive-specific scenarios and prevent their exploitation.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Detection.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Going back to our example, the protection layer locks the gate, and the detection layer corresponds to the cameras and sensors around and inside the museum. Host protection systems typically include bundles of sensors on the
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
ECUs,
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
that can sense abnormal behaviors of the system.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
This also includes a dedicated sensor to monitor SELinux itself, to make sure that it has not been removed or tampered with, and monitor system measurements, CPU utilization, etc., to facilitate further investigation.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Logging.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
This layer consists of collecting and managing all the SELinux logs
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
and all other security events in the system, and sending them as security events to the Intrusion Detection System Manager
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
or other configured sync for aggregation and filtering.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
These operational functions are mandated by
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
UNR
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
155 and GB.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
They complement the basic logging functionality in SELinux.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
As mentioned earlier, each of these layers is essential for OEMs looking to protect their vehicles and ECUs from cyber attacks,
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
as well as for facilitating compliance with cybersecurity requirements for type approval.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Bottom line.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
While Linux provides excellent value for developers, there is still a need to complement SELinux with additional layers of automotive-grade security in order to protect Linux-based ECUs and meet regulatory requirements. The combination of SELinux and host IDPs protection represents a powerful synergy in automotive cybersecurity. SELinux provides a robust foundation, while host protection offers the agility and specificity required to address the unique challenges
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
of the automotive industry.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
This dual approach ensures that vehicles are not only equipped to handle current cybersecurity threats but are also prepared for the evolving challenges of the future.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
That's all for today's episode. Keep your engines running smoothly and your cyber defenses sharp.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Stay connected by subscribing and visiting PlacidittyX.com.
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Automotive Cybersecurity Podcast Host
Until next time, stay safe on the road and in the cloud.