In an era marked by ever-advancing technological prowess, the rise in system complexity has also ushered in an escalating threat landscape. The vulnerabilities lurking within critical systems, vulnerable to intrusion and manipulation, have attracted the attention of both industry experts and malicious adversaries. Against this backdrop, engineers at DornerWorks are transforming the security paradigm of vehicle systems. This solution is detailed in the paper, “Electronic Control Unit (ECU) Resiliency with the seL4 Hypervisor,” presented by embedded engineer Alex Pavey at the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering & Technology Symposium & Modernization Update (GVSETS) in Novi, MI.
The exponential growth in threats posed by cyberattacks has highlighted a significant gap in the security of vehicle systems, primarily due to their original design not factoring in robust cybersecurity measures. Leveraging the power of virtualization technology for sensor systems and vehicle applications, a new window of opportunity has emerged to counter these vulnerabilities. Among the various hypervisors available, the seL4 hypervisor stands out as a frontrunner in security innovation, thanks to its microkernel architecture and rigorous formal proof of correctness.
The work outlined by Pavey delves into the outcomes of an initial exploratory investigation into the potential of the seL4 hypervisor to virtualize ECU systems. This cutting-edge approach holds the promise of shoring up ECU resiliency against cyber threats, and sets the stage for further investigations aimed at realizing this transformational vision.
In another presentation at GVSETS, DornerWorks engineer Zach Clark presented a paper titled “Deterministic & Modular Architecture for Embedded Vehicle Systems.” In addition to the paper presentations, DornerWorks was set up at booth #429 at the event, scheduled August 15 -17, 2023. The DornerWorks booth showcases the practical applications of secure software isolation, time-sensitive networking, and SOSA-aligned containers, providing attendees with a tangible glimpse into the future of resilient vehicle systems.
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