Semiconductor’s intellectual property company CAST has announced today the instant release for an IP core that incorporates CANsec security features to protect the security of any CAN XL bus.
The CAN protocol is a data transmission bus, which is highly popular in automobiles and industrial applications. The first incarnation of the protocol was in the 1980s. however, it is not equipped with integrated data protection, leaving CAN bus systems susceptible to cyberattacks as well as other dangers.
The most recent release of the CAN protocol CAN XL, increases the speed of transmission as well as allowing data length and scalability. New CANsec protocol — which is being created through CAN in Automation (CiA) as a draft specification 613-1 and 2 — takes advantage from these CAN XL features to add the security layer.
The new CAN-SEC Acceleration Engine IP core is compatible in conjunction with the CAST CAN XL core, which is available through CAST or any other XL standards-conforming controller’s IP core. It secures from the CAN XL payment for data by using two ciphers approved by NIST that can be used with up to 256 bits of key length:
- AES-CMAC ensures integrity of data and authenticity, as well as
- AES-GCM further safeguards privacy.
The core is able to protect the multiple devices or nodes on the same XL bus, using as many as 256 channels that connect to the controller of the CAN XL controller as well as the host processor of the system.
Implementing CANsec on hardware instead of software, the CAN-SEC Core provides minimal delay to data that is that is on the CAN XL bus, while protecting the data from cyber-attacks, including spoofing, replay and sniffing repudiation, exhaustion of resources.
The CANsec core designed by Fraunhofer IPMS was rigorously tested and produced in accordance with CAST’s IP quality standards and reusability and has been used in a demonstration by Renesas Electronics Corporation. It is now available through CAST.
“As with CAN in 2002, TSN Ethernet in 2017, and CAN XL in 2020, the advanced research and development team at Fraunhofer IPMS has enabled us to provide one of the first available IP cores for a hugely-beneficial new technology,” said Nikos Zervas CAST’s chief executive officer. CAST. “CAN XL helps answer the demanding increases in automotive system complexity, and now CANsec helps protect drivers and passengers from the rising threat of digital attack.”
