Enhancing CAN Security by Means of Lightweight Stream-Ciphers and Protocols

Abstract

The Controller Area Network (CAN) is the most used standard for communication inside vehicles. CAN relies on frame broadcast to exchange data payloads between different Electronic Control Units (ECUs) which manage critical or comfort functions such as cruise control or air conditioning. CAN is distinguished by its simplicity, its real-time application compatibility and its low deployment cost. However, CAN major drawback is its lack of security support. Indeed, CAN does not provide protections against attacks such as intrusion, injection or impersonation. In this work, we propose a framework for CAN security based on Trivium and Grain, two well-known lightweight stream ciphers. We define a simple authentication and key exchange protocol for ECUs. In addition, we extend CAN with the support of confidentiality and integrity for at least critical frames.