STMicroelectronics and Argus Cyber Security are announcing today a collaboration that brings Telemaco3P microprocessors and the Argus Connectivity Protection solution together to ensure manufacturers can ship powerful and secure automotive-grade electronic systems quicker and more efficiently. According to Global Market Insights’ September research report, the automotive electronics market will exceed $390 billion by 2024 thanks to innovations, and “growing concerns over safety and security” that will lead consumers and enterprises to purchase new vehicles with both higher quantities and higher performance ICs. One reason is that the public is more sensitive to this issue as news outlets continue to show how a security vulnerability can have catastrophic effects on occupants’ safety and the vehicle’s integrity. This is why we made it our mission to lead the automotive industry toward a more secure future.
Indeed, Telemaco3P, launched last October, is the first microprocessor for vehicles that includes a hardware security module. This unit keeps cryptographic keys and data away from hackers, even if they manage to penetrate the system. Furthermore, Telemaco3P device is based on a dual-core ARM® Cortex® A7 architecture with full ARM® Trust Zone implementation so that developers can benefit from their familiarity with this architecture while securing their platform.
Having the Hardware Security Module on the same silicon also means fewer components are needed, which reduces costs and board size while improving reliability. To top it off, having an embedded secure element adds another layer of security. Typically, the secure module is on a separate device that communicates with the processor, which means that intercepting this transmission link could have catastrophic effects. This becomes impossible when everything is on the same die. Yet, we are now pushing the envelope one step further thanks to our partnership with Argus Cyber Security.
What Argus Cyber Security Brings to Telemaco3P?
Argus Cyber Security offers end-to-end solutions to protect the many electronic systems against cyber attacks. The company works with major auto manufacturers and their suppliers to help them prevent, understand, and respond to cyber threats throughout the vehicle lifespan.
Argus Connectivity Protection(CP) integrated with Telemaco3P will defend telematics units against cyber-attacks by preventing malware installation, detecting OS anomalies, isolating suspicious applications and thwarting attack propagation to the in-vehicle network. Argus Connectivity Protection operates cross-platform (Linux/QNX/Android & more) to protect the car’s most vulnerable attack surfaces.
The solution will also work with Argus Lifespan Protection to provide OEMs and fleet managers with a situational awareness of the cyber health of the vehicle fleets on the road. By collecting information from all Argus equipped vehicles in the fleet, customers are able to perform big-data analysis to identify suspicious patterns and future threats. Once an attack is detected, using Argus Lifespan Protection, automakers can issue and digitally sign a security policy update to vehicles on the road. The secure policy update effectively immunizes the entire fleet from repeat instances of the attack
What the Cooperation Brings to Users?
Engineers and developers also benefit from Argus’s comprehensive solutions born out of years of experience and its unique expertise. Regarding the partnership with ST, the libraries that will be part of the Argus Connectivity Protection will secure the wireless communications that transit through the Telemaco3P system by authenticating and filtering messages to ensure a hacker can’t pose as a service provider or automaker to trick users into accepting something they shouldn’t.
Furthermore, the company also offers extensive detection systems right into the operating system, through kernel-level optimizations, to analyze packets, as well as application behavior, so even if hackers do manage to get through, their code just can’t run because the system is able to recognize and neutralize a malicious program.
Additionally, what makes our partner’s solution unique is that it also plans for the eventuality of an intrusion. Hence, the Argus Connectivity Protection includes systems that prevent the injection of false data by an adversary to shield against Man in the Middle or Replay attacks. The company also provides a remote security management system that uses the power of the cloud to monitor and respond to threats. As a result, it is possible to log and watch operations in real time to provide forensic evidence.
Seeing Is Believing… So, Let’s Meet at CES!
To really showcase the elegance and power of the cooperation between the Telemaco3P platform and the Argus Connectivity Protection solution, we will hold a demonstration in our private suite during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that will take place in Las Vegas between January 9 and 12, 2018. We thus invite you to contact Argus at CES2018@argus-sec.com, or your ST sales representative, to make an appointment and see the technology for yourself. It will be a unique opportunity to talk to engineers and witness how Argus Cyber Security protects against a potential hacker attempting to take control of the platform to corrupt emergency calls. Attendees will also appreciate the cloud interface and its numerous features.
Moreover, what makes the Argus demo even more remarkable is that it will run on the Modular Telematics Platform (MTP), ST’s all-in-one solution that integrates a Telemaco3P, a Teseo III GNSS Receiver, various MEMS sensors, as well as a Wi-Fi and LTE module, among other components. This solution currently serves as a reference design for a complete car connectivity platform. However, attendees will not only understand how Argus takes advantage of the MTP to implement its security solution, but they will also see how other ST partners use it to bolster their own technologies like V2X, another system that’s increasingly popular and indispensable. The presence of the MTP at our CES event will thus be an impressive display of how numerous actors in the industry are adopting a new reference design to vastly improve a vehicle’s electronic systems and customers’ experience.
