Computer security and communication issues in automobiles : identification and analysis of security issues using a threat modelling approach

Abstract

Automotive manufacturers are building cars with a greater emphasis on connectivity, this makes them more convenient but also more susceptible to attack from malicious parties. There are many methodologies in use by manufacturers to combat these threats but there is no consensus on which is the most effective. The aim of this project is to determine that Threat Modelling can be used in the lifecycle of a product to make it more secure. In the area of security Threat Modelling is a methodology that is used to identify risks by modelling the structure of a system. To test the claim that Threat Modelling is efficient and useful to the security of vehicles, a specific Threat Modelling software was used on a simulated vehicle. By modelling the vehicle and its components a list of threats was generated and sorted depending on their risk factor. The most problematic threats were tested against the system. The results of the Threat Modelling exercise were then compared to the results generated by a fuzzing test, this is a test which sends randomly generated data to the system to look for errors. The results show that there is greater efficiency both in time and threat identification, but not all generated threats are accurate therefore further testing is required to improve the model itself. The results show that Threat Modelling can improve security testing in the automotive industry. It allows for the developers to get a list of significant possible threats and therefore if this is applied early on into the systems development lifecycle it will allow them to work on the most significant problems with less issue and with no impact on the consumer.