Automotive cyberattacks have been on the rise with the increased connectivity of our vehicles. Avoid recalls that are both financially costly and damaging to your company image with a simple solution. Use MACsec to secure the data in transit in your automotive network.

There’s a reason today’s car manufacturers talk about “software-defined vehicles” (SDVs). Modern automobiles are more connected than ever. They rely heavily on electronics and software for everything from basic engine control and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to infotainment systems and high-resolution cameras.

Automotive networks are communication systems within vehicles that allow these various electronic components and systems to communicate and function effectively. But having this level of connectivity also opens up concerns about hacking and cyberattacks.

For example, man-in-the-middle attacks occur when a hacker intercepts and alters the communication between two targets. By doing this, a hacker can install malicious software on the vehicle, record and modify communications, and extract information – compromising safety and user privacy.

Cyberattack costs have exploded in a short period of time. Between 2021 and the first half of 2023, the global cost of cyberattacks on automotive networks increased from 74.7 million USD to 209.6 million USD. The cost of a cyberattack comes from multiple different streams: OTA updates, potential permanent hardware damage, potential lawsuits, and last but not least, the impact on the brand. The linked study has practical examples of different scenarios for different attack types.

That’s why Tuxera has developed solutions to address cybersecurity challenges in automotive solutions.

The Tuxera Networking Stack and MACsec

The Tuxera Networking Stack enables wireless and wired connectivity for almost everything that needs to be connected, from local networks to the Internet of Things (IoT).

The technology can be traced all the way back to TCP/IP and the dawn of the internet and was the first solution for connecting devices and transferring data across a network.

MACsec (Media Access Control security) is a security protocol that lives on Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) layer 2, one of the seven layers that enable computer systems to communicate over a network. It is just one of many security protocols found in the networking stack. MACsec is an effective protocol to use for in-vehicle communication in automotive use cases. Let’s take a closer look at why.

Why MACsec is the right choice for vehicles

Ethernet connectivity is on the rise in the automotive sector as it offers high performance for SDV applications. MACsec excels at protecting in-vehicle data as it adds additional security to the Ethernet frame. This is an advantage because it offers transparent hardening of all communication without the need to change anything at the application layer or higher OSI layers. By keeping the network closed in this way, it makes it harder for the bad guys to access your data.

Compared with competing frameworks like IPsec, MACsec offers transparency and simplicity – for example in terms of ease of configuration and integration to port – which is an advantage when creating solutions for the automotive industry.

MACsec works by establishing a bi-directional secure link after an exchange and verification of security keys between two connected devices. A combination of data integrity checks and encryption is used to safeguard the transmitted data.

If you encrypt something with MACsec, the MACsec Key Agreement protocol (MKA) handles the key exchange and EAP protocol manages the authentication and authorization to keep the data safe.

This means that with MACsec in place automotive systems are more secure against a wide range of possible hacking attempts including passive wiretapping, intrusion, man-in-the-middle attacks, and playback attacks.

Get expert help to make your automotive solutions secure

Tuxera’s solutions for the automotive sector meet stringent automotive industry standards. We can offer MKA and MACsec even if your hardware can’t support it because we have a software solution that enables MACsec in all cases – and also allows easy switchover to MACsec-compliant hardware in the future.

Automotive security is a vital but complicated subject. The good news is that you’re not alone. Our experts can help you make sure your offering is protected from hacking and intrusion. With all the buzz around zonal architecture and SDVs, the big question is how to keep your data safe and out of the wrong hands. That’s where Tuxera comes in.

Contact us to discuss how we can help secure your automotive solutions, or read more about our networking stack offering.

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