Projects:2019s1-105 Hacking CAN Bus
Utilising a testbed environment to develop and demonstrate man-in-the-middle deception attacks on the internal communication networks of modern vehicles
Modern cars have multiple dedicated computers that control all of the car’s operations, such as the engine, braking, steering and entertainment. These computers are called electronic control units (ECUs) and communicate primarily by a highly vulnerable serial network, the CAN bus protocol.
Cyber security concerns surrounding these vehicles are increasing, particularly with the introduction of Wi-Fi and other wireless vehicle services. Using these wireless services, adversaries can find their way on the CAN bus and gain control of the vehicle. In a different scenario, infiltrating a vehicle and connecting a device to subtly alter a vehicle’s display information, without any overt consequences, may result in an unaware user who, at best, might have a slight suspicion.
The research presented in this paper discusses this type of security threat and the mistrust it can cause. The intent of the research is to assert the usefulness of a testbed environment in exploiting the vulnerabilities of the CAN bus protocol by developing and weaponizing a deceptive man-in-the-middle type attack.
Contents
Project Team
Student Researchers
Stefan Smiljanic
Charlie Tran
Project Supervisors
Dr. Matthew Sorell
Aaron Frishling (DSTG)
Bradley Cooney (DSTG)
Daniel Coscia (DSTG)
Definitions and Abbreviations
CAN Controller Area Network
ECU Electronic Control Unit
MITM Man-in-the-Middle
MOTS Man-on-the-Side
OBD On Board Diagnostics
Research Questions
What are the benefits and limitations of a testbed environment for research in automotive security?
How can the vulnerabilities of the CAN bus protocol be exploited in a testbed environment to perform targeted and deceptive attacks?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of MOTS compared to MITM attack architectures?
Related Work and Motivation
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Objectives
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Method
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Results
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References
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